Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), who serves as the Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, addressed concerns regarding the advancement of the SCORE Act by two House committees. The legislation is criticized for favoring large schools in wealthy conferences while neglecting athletes and smaller institutions.
Senator Cantwell stated, "Saving Olympic sports is going to take more than just allowing the biggest universities with the biggest boosters to always be in the conference playoffs." She further expressed that the bill undermines recent advancements in athletes' rights, impacts women's and Olympic sports negatively, and disadvantages small and mid-major schools. According to her, it enriches big schools while reducing their accountability.
A diverse group of stakeholders opposes this bill. These include athletes, coaches, athletic conferences, fan coalitions, labor groups, professional players associations, State Attorneys Generals, and others.
The following organizations have voiced their opposition or concern about the SCORE Act:
- The AFL-CIO Sports Council
- NFL Players Association
- U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC)
- National College Players Association (NCPA)
- Sports Fan Coalition
- American Economic Liberties Project
- Athletes.Org
- Democratic Women’s Caucus
- The Big West Athletic Conference
- Attorneys General from Tennessee, D.C., Florida, New York, and Ohio
- The American Football Coaches Association
In addition to these voices of dissent, last week Senator Cantwell joined Rep. Baumgartner (R-WA) in sending a letter strongly opposing the bill.
