I will admit, folks, that the thought of my name appearing on ESPN hadn’t crossed my mind since my days as a tight end on the football team at Stanford University.

But last week, I was proud to join my Senate and House colleagues to host a virtual summit with current and former college athletes to spread some much-needed awareness. We talked about the plight of college athletics and the basic fairness that athletes are denied including enforceable health and safety standards, adequate medical coverage, and a guarantee to a high-quality education.

Television networks, sponsors, advertisers, coaches, administrators, and universities reap the rewards of this billion-dollar March Madness industry — and the profits extend far beyond this one tournament.

In 40 out of 50 states, the highest-paid public employee is the university football, basketball, or hockey coach.

That’s why I’ve introduced the College Athletes Bill of Rights in the Senate — to overhaul the regulation and oversight of the NCAA and ensure the athletes, whose greatest earning potential often occurs in college, receive a share of the profits.

Add your name as a citizen cosponsor of my College Athletes Bill of Rights if you agree we need to overhaul the NCAA’s broken and outdated amateurism model and let athletes receive a piece of the pie in this billion-dollar industry.

ADD YOUR NAME

 

In our summit, we talked about the right to organize and collectively bargain, ensure gender equity and fair funding through Title IX, and the health and safety of athletes who put their bodies on the line and deal with the health consequences for years thereafter.

Tonight, competitors in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship will tip off — the culminating event of this billion-dollar March Madness industry.

For many of these men and women who competed in the tournament, including women’s champion South Carolina, my alma mater the Stanford Cardinal Women who made it to the Final Four, and the pride of New Jersey, the St. Peter’s Peacocks, their fame and earning potential as athletes will never be higher than it is right now on the national stage.

While college athletes have made some important gains in the past few years — including the opportunity to earn an income off of their name, image, and likeness — we still lack substantive legislation at the federal level.

But believe it or not, this issue cuts across party lines. Many states have already taken action to let college athletes earn incomes from sponsorships, and I believe that we have a real opportunity to get something done in the Senate.

I need to show my colleagues that this is just as big a priority for the American people as it is for me. Your voice is important, which is why I’m asking:

Please add your name as a citizen cosponsor of my College Athletes Bill of Rights.

ADD YOUR NAME

 

Thanks for raising your voice.

With love and gratitude,

Cory