In an effort to try and bring some order to college athletics, a bill was introduced to the House of Representatives late last month called the Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsement Act, otherwise known as the SCORE Act. The bill was produced by House Republicans and was set to be voted on during the week of September 16, and while there was some bipartisan support, the bill’s sponsors sensed that a majority of the members would vote against it, stalling the vote[1].
The SCORE Act seeks to codify the House Settlement as federal law and further permit the NCAA to increase the revenue-sharing cap[2]. Some of the major aspects of the bill include requiring schools to maintain a minimum of 16 varsity sports and to continue to maintain opportunities for non-revenue and Olympic sports, codifying student-athlete status and not allowing them to be considered employees of the schools they play for, and providing the NCAA, conferences, and the College Sports Commission with limited antitrust exceptions that will protect them from continued litigation[3]. Some other key factors included in the bill are regulations on agents representing college athletes and mandating schools to provide academic support and out-of-pocket healthcare coverage for ex-athletes[4]. While there are some who believe the SCORE Act will protect the NIL rights of college athletes, there are many skeptics who think that the bill gives too much power to the NCAA and the power conferences, stripping away the rights of the student athletes and threatening to roll back much of the progress that has already been made[5].
In response to some of the skepticism surrounding the SCORE Act, another bill was introduced by House Democrats called the Student Athlete Fairness Enforcement Act, otherwise known as the SAFE Act[6]. The SAFE Act echoes much of what the SCORE Act includes , but it does not address student-athlete employment status or extend antitrust protections to the NCAA[7]. The SAFE Act will also amend the Sports Broadcasting Act, allowing for schools and conferences to pool media rights[8]. Before the government shutdown began, House Republicans and Democrats were in the midst of negotiating some of the key aspects both parties would like to see in a final bill, but there has been no final bill introduced as of yet[9].
[1] Michael McCann, College Sports Bill Flounders in House as Legal Challenges Brew, Sportico (September 16, 2025).
[2] McGuire Woods, The Goals of the SCORE Act: What Lawmakers Aim to Achieve (September 11, 2025).
[3] Id.
[4] Bryan DeArdo, SCORE Act, a bill alter that would change the landscape of college sports, has been formally introduced in the U.S. House, CBS Sports (July 10, 2025).
[5] Athletes.org, The SCORE Act is Detrimental to ALL College Athletes and ALL Colleges Sports (September 11, 2025).
[6] Ralph D. Russo, As SCORE Act regains momentum, Senate critics launch new bill to reshape college sports, The Athletic (September 29, 2025).
[7] Amanda Christovich, Senate Democrats Introduce Counter-Bill to College Sports SCORE Act, Front Office Sports (September 29, 2025).
[8] Russo, supra note 7.
[9] Ross Dellenger, Congressional Black Caucus in discussions with Republicans on amending the SCORE Act, Yahoo Sports (September 25, 2025).
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