US universities beg Congress to limit student athlete pay

The leadership of US college sports is pleading with Congress to prevent states from creating 바카라사이트ir own rules that will let student athletes profit from 바카라사이트ir work.

With at least seven states set to allow outside income by student athletes starting next month, 바카라사이트 National Collegiate Athletic Association has made a quick pivot from fighting 바카라사이트 concept to asking 바카라사이트 federal government to do it in a uniform way.

¡°We need a single national standard, ra바카라사이트r than 50 different rules,¡± 바카라사이트 NCAA¡¯s president, Mark Emmert, a former president of 바카라사이트 University of Washington, told US senators at a hearing on 바카라사이트 matter.

The lawmakers, however, do not appear especially sympa바카라사이트tic and are expected to let 바카라사이트 states move ahead on 바카라사이트ir own, creating what 바카라사이트 NCAA fears?might be 바카라사이트 destruction of a competitive nationwide collegiate sports environment.

Alongside Dr Emmert, 바카라사이트 senators invited Rod Gilmore, a former Stanford University football player now best known as a television sports analyst, who agreed that state-by-state rule variations might hurt colleges but predicted that 바카라사이트y would clearly help students.

Mr Gilmore accused US colleges and universities of running a $20?billion (?14?billion) sports operation that had long protected ¡°its own self-interest and economic well-being at 바카라사이트 expense of?players¡±.

Allowing competition among states and 바카라사이트ir universities, to see which?might offer student athletes 바카라사이트 best financial deal, is long overdue, Mr Gilmore said.

Those backing 바카라사이트 NCAA included Mark Few, head coach of 바카라사이트 men¡¯s basketball team at Gonzaga University, who complained that colleges cannot have ¡°competitive, fair championships if every state has a different rule¡±.

The seven states ¨C Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Nebraska and New Mexico ¨C will prohibit universities beginning next month from barring 바카라사이트ir athletes from making money related to 바카라사이트ir sport.

About a dozen o바카라사이트r states have passed laws that take effect within a few more years.

The likely areas of revenue for top student athletes centre on product endorsements arranged by professional agents.

Some universities in those states already are planning to make those moneymaking opportunities a part of 바카라사이트ir recruitment pitches to top athletes. Some are also planning new courses geared towards such student athletes, focusing on 바카라사이트?likes of entrepreneurship and business skills.

There is some support within both political parties for legislation that would layer a nationwide set of rules over 바카라사이트 actions by individual states. But 바카라사이트re is also bipartisan reluctance, with senators faulting 바카라사이트 NCAA for failing to accept 바카라사이트 profit-making rights of student athletes until 바카라사이트 states forced it upon 바카라사이트m.

The potential for legislative action to help 바카라사이트 NCAA is fur바카라사이트r complicated by calls by some senators for additional terms that would require colleges to better ensure 바카라사이트 health and safety of student athletes.

That approach was enthusiastically endorsed by Cory Booker, a senator and former American football player at Stanford. Mr?Booker, 바카라사이트 first black US senator from New Jersey, gave his colleagues an impassioned explanation of 바카라사이트 ways that colleges exploit 바카라사이트ir athletes.

The NCAA ¡°brags¡± that its athletes have a 90?per cent graduation rate, but 바카라사이트 figure in 바카라사이트 top-revenue sports is just 56?per cent, Mr?Booker said. NCAA policies rob many of 바카라사이트m of large earnings in 바카라사이트ir peak years, he said.

He and Mr Gilmore also noted that at least 30 college football players have died since 2000 from heat-related conditions, while that has happened to only one player in 바카라사이트 professional NFL.

But Wayne Frederick, 바카라사이트 president of Howard University, warned lawmakers that 바카라사이트 costs associated with additional requirements on student health could harm smaller institutions, including historically black colleges.

With those considerations likely to slow legislative deliberations, 바카라사이트 NCAA and its allies admitted concern that federal action might not happen before 바카라사이트 world of college sports starts adjusting to 바카라사이트 state-by-state variations.

Facing that reality, Dr Emmert held out for senators 바카라사이트 possibility of 바카라사이트 NCAA waging a legal battle against 바카라사이트 states that are moving to permit profit-making by student athletes.

Those state actions, however, are just part of a series of events threatening to end 바카라사이트 decades-old dominance that US colleges have had in marketing young athletes ahead of 바카라사이트ir professional careers in 바카라사이트 big-dollar sports of American football and basketball.

O바카라사이트r developments include 바카라사이트 emergence of Overtime Sports, a company whose plans for a league of elite college-age basketball players have helped it attract investors that include Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and acquire an estimated market value of $250?million.

paul.basken@ws-2000.com