NE Washington News

The House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade held a hearing titled "Moving the Goalposts: How NIL is Reshaping College Athletics." The discussion focused on the rapidly changing landscape of name, image, and likeness (NIL) rights for student athletes.

Chairman Bilirakis stated, "Student athletes have the right to benefit from use of their name, image and likeness (NIL) but the rapid evolution of NIL has created a chaotic and unpredictable system." He emphasized the need to stabilize this environment to protect student athletes while maintaining college sports' integrity.

Representative Jay Obernolte shared his personal experience in video game development. "When I was in college, I played on the Caltech football team. Go Beavers! But then later in my life, I got into video game development," he said. Obernolte recounted past restrictions on using student athletes' names in games and highlighted the potential for creating a win-win system for all parties involved.

Representative Diana Harshbarger expressed her concerns regarding NIL's impact on young athletes. She stated, "I got a lot of worries about this NIL. I have two grandsons coming up. They love football, basketball, the whole nine yards." Harshbarger raised questions about standardization and regulation within NIL agreements.

Meanwhile, Representative Tom Kean discussed broader implications of NIL changes. He noted that as college athletics evolve, it is essential to balance athlete benefits with fairness in recruitment and competition. Kean stressed that federal legislation must preserve athletic integrity while ensuring fair competition among schools nationwide.