The NCAA's potential legislation on NIL will serious harm college athletes' labor rights. There are a number of contradictions within this potential legislation, embedded power dynamics that will continue to disfranchise college athletes, over complication which will lead 1/x https://twitter.com/RossDellenger/status/1284266916736053255

to unnecessary "violations" & "infractions", & giving the NCAA anti-trust exemption will seriously harm college athletes fight to receive their full labor rights. 2/x

1st: the legislation wants to prevent college athletes from receiving sponsorships that will entice them to attend a university. Later the potential legislation provides universities the ability to prevent any sponsorship that does not align with their sponsorships. 3/x

These two statements are in direct conflict. A college athlete should be able to pursue a shoe deal from whatever company they want but if it competes with the university will they not prevent it? This will have direct implications in recruiting as universities use their 4/x

sponsorships to attract players. Think Michigan signing with Air Jordan. It was widely known this deal was made to help recruiting. Of course Michigan will make sure all of their athletes are sponsored by Air Jordan but wouldn't this become a recruiting violation? 5/x

2nd: Demanding college athletes complete a full semester prior to being able to sign sponsorship deals prevents players from being able to engage in sponsorship opportunities in high school & youth sports. Therefore, individuals cannot receive "impermissible benefits" 6/x

prior to attending college. There are individuals who could easily receive sponsorships right now as high school players. Why are we limiting their potential to earn revenue or sign deals?

3rd: Unneeded regulation that will lead to more "violations" or "infractions". 7/x

We already see universities doing whatever they can to recruit individuals to play at their schools. It is absurd to think universities will not use sponsorship potential to attract individuals to play for their teams. Trying to regulate this will result in more policing of 8/x

college athletes which will lead to more violations and infractions. Violations and infractions historically hurt players more than coaches or universities. Further, this will result in more wasted dollars spent on unnecessary monitoring and policing rather than 9/x

putting that money elsewhere, such as scholarships or supporting struggling athletic departments.

Lastly, providing the NCAA an anti-trust exemption will seriously hurt the fight for college athlete rights. 10/x

Anti-trust exemptions makes it extremely difficult to bring suit against an employer for violating labor rights such as unfairly suppressing wages and limiting benefits. It will also make it more difficult to bring suit against the NCAA for other 11/x

labor right violations such as the health and safety of college athletes. If the NCAA receives this it will grind all legal challenges to a halt as the NCAA will have received the ability to legally suppress college athletes earnings and legal rights. This takes away 12/x

college athletes' ability to bring suit against the NCAA which has been an incredibly effective strategy for creating change. This potential legislation will not be a win for college athletes. It protects the NCAA & member institutions' interests & will harm college athletes 13/x