Former NFL and college football player, Cody Campbell, writes that the challenges that face today’s college sports are complex and “much bigger than just name, image, and license agreements (NIL) and the transfer portal.”
“Saving college sports this time will require comprehensive federal legislation that touches some of the most complex areas of law,” says Campbell who is a board member of the Texas Public Policy Foundation and a distinguished fellow at the America First Policy Institute. “This gives Congress and the Trump administration an opportunity to manifest leadership that will sustain our intercollegiate athletics system for another 120 years.”
Campbell says reform must take place at the federal level to preempt state laws.
“A truly sustainable solution will pre-empt the tangle of state laws and address antitrust issues regarding both labor and media (including possible amendment of the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961) to stop the onslaught of litigation. They must allow the business side of college sports to operate effectively and resolve a litany of employment-related issues. Our leaders must also confront and address the implications of Title IX (especially given what the Biden Department of Education did in its final days) and protect athletes against predatory actors.”
And he notes the solution cannot focus on the biggest, richest programs.
“All of this must be done in a manner that is maximally inclusive of the 134 Football Championship Subdivision schools. All these institutions and the communities they’re in will be profoundly affected, both economically and culturally, by whatever solutions emerge. This isn’t just about the most premier and highest-profile programs.”
“It should be the goal to find a middle path that preserves the benefits of the legacy structure and pays respect to the great and unique American institution of intercollegiate athletics, while also recognizing the commercial realities of modern college sports.” Campbell concludes.
“We can save college sports. But to do so, we must approach the issue, in Teddy Roosevelt’s words, ‘with courage, in a spirit of fair dealing, with sanity and common sense.’”
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