What Happened?

If you follow college sports, Congress is now weighing whether athletes should be able to earn money from their own names and images. Federal rules on college athletes' pay and university research grants are both under debate, per lobbying disclosures filed this quarter. The University of Tennessee System filed its third-quarter 2026 filing, which covers nine issue areas, including college athletics legislation, fiscal year 2027 appropriations, defense research, and proposed federal changes to university grant rules. ​

One new addition this quarter: the system added a lobbying code covering the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) proposed changes to the Uniform Guidance, the rules governing grants and cooperative agreements at universities, which was absent from its second-quarter filing. A Congressional Research Service report describes OMB's May 2026 proposed rule as creating a structure under which future OMB regulatory updates automatically apply to federal agencies, affecting how universities manage grant compliance.

Why Does it Matter to Me?

The two central bills are the SCORE Act and the Protect College Sports Act of 2026. The SCORE Act would let student athletes earn compensation based on their name, image, and likeness (NIL), bar schools from restricting those deals, prohibit classifying athletes as employees, and override state laws on the subject. The Senate Commerce Committee reported the Protect College Sports Act in June 2026, and Sen. Ted Cruz sponsors it. Sen. Marsha Blackburn and Sen. Maria Cantwell also introduced the HUSTLE Act, which would create tax-advantaged accounts for athletes' NIL earnings and require financial education.

Both Sides, Now

Supporters of the SCORE Act, including Representatives Tim Walberg, Brett Guthrie, and Jim Jordan, say it would provide national stability for college sports. Representatives Janelle Bynum and Shomari Figures said the bill could help athletes earn compensation and access protections.

The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) and its Sports Council oppose the bill, arguing its antitrust exemption could allow the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and member institutions to collude against athletes, and that its ban on employee status would deny athletes the right to organize. In July 2025, players' associations sent Congress a letter urging it to reject a proposed bill, as reported by Yahoo Sports.

More than 40 organizations are on record lobbying for the SCORE Act, including the Southeastern Conference, the University of Alabama System, the NFL Players Association, and the Service Employees International Union.

What Happens Next?

The University of Tennessee System spent $170,000 on in-house lobbying in the third quarter of 2026, down $30,000 from $200,000 in the second quarter. That figure is still $40,000 above the same quarter last year. The Education Department also proposed changes to accreditor-recognition rules on Aug. 20.

Will Congress send a national NIL framework to the president's desk before the patchwork of state laws grows further?

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