To prohibit certain entities from barring a student athlete from participating in intercollegiate athletics as a result of such student athlete entering into an endorsement contract, and for other purposes.
Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Student Athlete Level Playing Field Act establishes federal NIL (name, image, likeness) rights for college athletes, prohibiting schools and athletic organizations from penalizing students who sign endorsement deals. It creates a federal framework that preempts varying state laws and establishes FTC enforcement against violations.
Who Benefits and How
Student athletes gain legally protected rights to profit from their name, image, and likeness through endorsement contracts without losing eligibility or scholarships. Athletes can now hire agents and monetize their personal brand. Sports marketing firms and athlete agents gain a new regulated market for representing college athletes.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Athletic boosters face new restrictions and cannot offer NIL deals to recruit prospective students before enrollment. Athletic departments cannot negotiate or fund NIL deals for their athletes. Athlete agents must register with the FTC. State regulators lose authority as federal law preempts state NIL rules.
Key Provisions
- Prohibits schools and NCAA from barring athletes who sign endorsement or agency contracts
- Bans boosters from using NIL deals to recruit prospective student athletes before enrollment
- Requires athlete agents to register with the Federal Trade Commission
- Preempts all state NIL laws, creating uniform federal standards
- Creates 13-member commission to advise on NIL implementation and disputes
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Establishes federal protections allowing college student athletes to enter endorsement contracts and profit from their name, image, and likeness (NIL) while creating oversight mechanisms to prevent abusive practices
Key Policy Areas
Higher Education, Sports, Consumer Protection, Employment
Primary Purpose
Establishes federal protections allowing college student athletes to enter endorsement contracts and profit from their name, image, and likeness (NIL) while creating oversight mechanisms to prevent abusive practices
Policy Domains
Student Athlete Level Playing Field Act
Identified Gains
- College student athletes
- Sports agents and marketing firms
- NIL collective organizations
Identified Costs
- Athletic boosters
- NCAA and athletic conferences
- State regulators
- Athlete agents (registration requirement)
Sponsors
Mike Carey
R-OH | Primary Sponsor
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Carey (for himself and Mr. Landsman) introduced the following …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
College athletic departments, College student athletes, Prospective student athletes
Universities and colleges faces effects in multiple directions
Positive-direction: College student athletes, Student athletes, Student athletes receiving athletic scholarships, Universities with less booster support
Negative-direction: College athletic departments, Prospective student athletes
Athletic boosters and NIL collectives, NCAA and athletic conferences
Legal practitioners and compliance officers, Sports agents, Sports agents representing student athletes
Positive-direction: Sports marketing and contracting professionals
Negative-direction: Sports agents, Sports agents representing student athletes
Congressional oversight committees, Federal Trade Commission
Positive-direction: Congressional oversight committees
Negative-direction: Federal Trade Commission
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "ftc"
- → Federal Trade Commission
- "the_commission"
- → Covered Athletic Organization Commission (13-member advisory body)
- "covered_athletic_organization"
- → Athletic associations, conferences, or organizations with authority over intercollegiate athletics (e.g., NCAA)
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
An individual or organization that provides substantial financial assistance or services to an athletic program or promotes a team for their substantial financial interest
An oral or written agreement under which a student athlete authorizes a person to negotiate or solicit an endorsement contract on behalf of the student athlete
As defined in section 2 of the Sports Agent Responsibility and Trust Act (15 U.S.C. 7801)
An athletic association, conference, or other organization with authority over intercollegiate athletics or that administers intercollegiate athletics
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology