Bill · S. 2470· Senate(119-S-2470)
College Athlete Economic Freedom Act
- Introduced
- 7/28/2025
- Last activity
- 7/28/2025 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
- Sponsored by
- Christopher Murphy
- Cosponsors
- None
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The College Athlete Economic Freedom Act seeks to establish rights for college athletes regarding the use of their name, image, and likeness. It prohibits institutions and athletic associations from preventing athletes from marketing these rights or from obtaining professional representation. The bill also mandates equitable support and requires certain collectives to register with the Federal Trade Commission and report data. Additionally, it provides specific visa and employment authorizations for international college athletes. The Act includes enforcement mechanisms through the Federal Trade Commission and a private right of action.
Yes· 3 of 12
Would people in their twenties and thirties be better off under this?+7
The bill grants college-aged athletes the right to market their own name, image, and likeness and obtain professional representation.
Would students be better off under this?+7
The bill provides students with rights to market their likeness and protects their scholarship eligibility.
Would immigrants be better off under this?+6
The bill provides international college athletes with specific employment authorization for their name, image, and likeness activities.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Athlete Marketing Freedom: Institutions and athletic associations are prohibited from enforcing rules that prevent college athletes or prospective athletes from marketing their name, image, or likeness (Section 3(a)(1)).
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Protection of Financial Aid: Receiving compensation for name, image, or likeness use cannot negatively affect an athlete's eligibility or the amount, duration, or renewal of their grant-in-aid (Section 3(a)(5)).
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Right to Representation: Athletes cannot be prevented from participating in intercollegiate athletics because they have obtained professional representation, such as an athlete agent, financial advisor, or attorney (Section 3(c)(1)).
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Equitable Support: Institutions and their affiliates must make support for name, image, and likeness marketing available to all athletes regardless of gender, race, or sport (Section s3(b)(1)).
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International Athlete Opportunities: International college athletes are authorized to engage in employment activities related to their name, image, or likeness while in the United States (Section 5(c)(1)).
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Legal Recourse for Athletes: Individuals aggrieved by a violation of the Act's marketing rights may bring a civil action in court to seek actual damages, costs, and attorney's fees (Section 6(b)(1-2)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Restrictions on Group Licensing: Institutions or athletic associations cannot use the name, image, or likeness of a group of athletes for promotion, such as media rights agreements, without obtaining a license from that group (Section 3(a)(4)(A)).
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Mandatory Reporting Burdens: Institutional name, image, and likeness collectives are required to register with the Federal Trade Commission and submit annual reports detailing the number of agreements and their monetary value, disaggregated by gender, race, and sport (Section 3(b)(2)(A)(iii)).
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Requirement for Market Analysis: The Secretary of Commerce is authorized to award grants for conducting market analyses of the monetization of athlete rights, which involves collecting surveys and interviews (Section 4(b-c)).
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International Student Reporting: Institutions of higher education must report to the Secretary of Homeland Security when an international college athlete terminates their attendance (Section 5(a)).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Students+7Good For Young Adults+7Good For Immigrants+6Good For Women+4Good For Low Income Households+3Good For Hispanic Americans+2
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves Gender Equality+4Improves Racial Equity+4Improves Pathway To Citizenship+3
- Economy And Finance
- Improves Consumer Protection+5
- Education And Technology
- Improves College Affordability+5
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Government Transparency+5
- 7/28/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
- Introduced in Senate
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.