NEWNow you can listen to Pak Gazette articles!
More than 20 conservative organizations expressed support for the Student Compensation and Opportunity through Entitlements and Endorsements (SCORE) Act, according to a letter to House Speaker Rep. Michael JohnsonR-La., obtained by Pak Gazette Digital.
The SCORE Act would give the NCAA a limited antitrust exemption in hopes of protecting the NCAA from potential lawsuits over eligibility rules and would prohibit athletes from becoming employees of their schools.
“The SCORE Act is the free market, individual liberty, and limited government solution to the ‘name, image, and likeness (NIL)’ issue in college athletics,” the letter said.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PakGazette.Com
Duke center Patrick Ngongba (21) shoots against Arkansas forward Malique Ewin (12) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game at the CBS Sports Thanksgiving Classic tournament on Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
“In 2021, the NCAA case against Alston before the Supreme Court resulted in schools gaining freedom to offer additional education-related benefits to students, laying the groundwork for an expansion of NIL rights. In the years since, a patchwork of confusing state laws have been enacted, crying out for a federal solution to create unified NIL rules that are consistent for everyone.”
Pro-SCORE Act groups said the bill is the “common sense way” to set rules and avoid confusing state laws in the NIL era.
“H.R. 4312 prohibits trial lawyers from suing under federal or state antitrust law. It also states that athletes who receive NIL compensation do not need to be employees of these universities, which protects them from mandatory unionization. “This means that student-athletes can be treated as small business owners, not union workers,” the letter added.
Conservative groups framed the SCORE Act as a better plan than the “Student Athlete Fairness and Enforcement (SAFE) Act,” which has been overwhelmingly supported by Democrats. The SCORE Act has at least gained some bipartisan support in the House.
The SAFE Act proposes to rewrite the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 to allow conferences to pool media rights. Supporters say it could pump billions into college sports.
North Carolina State’s Caden Fordham (1) celebrates after a sack by North Carolina quarterback Gio Lopez (not shown) during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Raleigh, North Carolina, Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)
SENATOR JOHN THUNE OFFERS POTENTIAL SOLUTION FOR VOID REFORM: ‘LIKE THE NFL WITHOUT CONTRACT’
“The left’s proposed framework for regulating the NIL would be a disaster. Known as the ‘SAFE Act,’ it would open the door for trial lawyers to frivolously sue athletic departments and conferences,” the conservative groups said. “It could also require student-athletes to be classified as employees, forcing many of them to join unions, simply using the NIL compensation predicate.
“Interestingly, the SAFE Act would also create a socialized college sports media contract, imposing a national governing board to negotiate for all universities. Washington bureaucrats should not be in the business of negotiating sports television and broadcast rights.”
Center for a Free Economy Leaders, 60 Plus Association, Constitutional Rights PAC, Parkview Institute, DL Maradona Foundation, US Politics, Southeast Texans for Freedom, National Taxpayers Union, Family Business Coalition, Freedom Frontiers, Tradition, Family, Property, Founding Principles Coalition, America First PACT, American Pledge, Competitive Enterprise Institute, Policy Center Southwest Public Administrations, Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council, Hispanic Leadership Fund, Inventor’s Project, Gator PAC and Committee to Unleash Prosperity.
“Thirty-one Division I athletic conferences with a wide range of membership, from schools with small budgets to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), have publicly endorsed the SCORE Act as the solution to protecting opportunities for student-athletes. The path forward is clear. We urge you to support the SCORE Act and oppose the Big Government SAFE Act,” the letter said.
The SCORE Act requires schools to share revenue, under the terms of the House agreement, in the amount of 22 percent “if such rules provide that such pool limit is AT LEAST 22 percent of the average annual college sports revenue of the 70 highest-revenue schools.”
Senator Ted Cruz has supported the SCORE Act. (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)
The SCORE Act prohibits schools from using student fees to fund NIL payments.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE Pak Gazette APP
The bill was introduced in July and received the senator’s support. Ted CruzTexas Republican.
