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More than 20 conservative organizations expressed support for the Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements (SCORE) Act, according to a letter addressed to House Speaker Rep. Mike JohnsonR-La., obtained by Pakinomist Digital.
The SCORE Act would grant 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, limited government solution to the ‘name, image and likeness (NIL)’ problem in college athletics,” the letter read.
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Duke center Patrick Ngongba (21) shoots against Arkansas forward Malique Ewin (12) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the CBS Sports Thanksgiving Classic tournament Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
“In 2021, The NCAA v. Alston case before the Supreme Court resulted in schools being given the freedom to offer additional education-related benefits to students, setting the stage 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 all.”
The groups advocating for the SCORE Act said the bill is “the common sense” way to establish rules and prevent confusing state laws in the NIL era.
“HR 4312 prohibits trial lawyers from suing under federal or state antitrust laws. It also provides that athletes receiving NIL compensation need not be employees of those universities, protecting them from mandatory unionization. This means student-athletes can be treated as small business owners, not union members,” the letter added.
The conservative groups framed the SCORE Act as a better plan than the Student Athlete Fairness and Enforcement (SAFE) Act, which has been supported mostly by Democrats. The SCORE Act has at least garnered some bipartisan support in the House.
The SAFE Act proposes to rewrite the 1961 Sports Broadcasting Act to allow conferences to pool media rights. Supporters say it could inject billions into college sports.
North Carolina State’s Caden Fordham (1) celebrates after a sack of 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)
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“The left’s proposed framework to regulate 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 into unions, simply by using the predicate NIL compensation.
“Bizarrely, the SAFE Act would also create a socialized college sports media contract, requiring a national government board to negotiate for all colleges. Washington bureaucrats should not be in the business of negotiating sports TV and streaming rights.”
Leaders from Center for a Free Economy, 60 Plus Association, Constitutional Rights PAC, Parkview Institute, DL Maradona Foundation, US Policy, Southeast Texans for Liberty, National Taxpayers Union, Family Business Coalition, Frontiers of Freedom, Tradition, Family, Property, Founding Principles Coalition, America First PACT, Southeast Texans for Liberty, Southern Entre-Commitment, Small Business Institute, South Entre Council, Hispanic Leadership Fund, Inventor’s Project, Gator PAC and Committee to Unleash Prosperity.
“Thirty-one Division I athletic conferences with wide-ranging membership, from small budget schools to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), have publicly endorsed the SCORE Act as the solution to protecting opportunities for student-athletes. The way forward is clear. We urge you to support the SCORE Act and oppose the big government SAFE Act.
The SCORE Act calls for schools to share revenue under the terms of the House settlement at 22% “if such rules provide that such pool limit is AT LEAST 22 percent of the average annual college sports revenue of the 70 highest-grossing schools.”
Late. Ted Cruz has supported the SCORE Act. (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)
The SCORE Act prohibits schools from using student fees to fund NIL payments.
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The bill was introduced back in July and received support from Sen. Ted CruzR-Texas.
