bill to be introduced Thursday that would re-define
by jt (2019-03-13 14:03:22)
Edited on 2019-03-13 14:05:04
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amateur athletics. Honestly, I don't know why anyone would be opposed to this.

from the article:

Rep. Mark Walker (R., N.C.) will introduce a bill Thursday—likely through the Ways and Means committee—that would amend the definition of a qualified amateur sports organization in the U.S. tax code. In the new definition, a body seeking to be defined as a qualified amateur sports organization would be banned from “prohibiting or substantially restricting the use of an athlete’s name, image and likeness.”


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He also wants to make one thing clear. He is not suggesting schools pay players. He is merely proposing a removal of the barriers that keep others from paying players*. This is similar to what happened to Olympic sports between 1968 and 1992, when rules were gradually changed by various international federations until pro athletes were allowed to compete in the games. In 1955, then-IOC president Avery Brundage said, “We can only rely on the support of those who believe in the principles of fair play and sportsmanship embodied in the amateur code in our efforts to prevent the games from being used by individuals, organizations or nations for ulterior motives.” This is very similar to what NCAA leaders said in their defense in O’Bannon v. NCAA and Alston v. NCAA. The rules, the NCAA officials and conference commissioners have said, exist to protect the athletes from being exploited.


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Walker, by the way, does not want to force the schools and the NCAA to completely open this market. He’d prefer if they did, but he’d be fine with progress. If they want to establish trusts that athletes can tap when they leave school, he would understand. If they want to establish some limits, he’d understand. “I’m not telling you how you need to resolve it,” he says, “but what I am telling you is that you can’t violate these young adults’ rights any longer.”



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