There’s not much these days that unites politicians. Even bipartisan bills, meant to appease each side, have been shot down in Congress recently. 

At the same time, issues surrounding sports don’t tend to make their way to the political scene, aside from Title IX as it pertains to college sports. Even then, the issue never really separates the two major political parties in this country. 

That’s why, as the college sports atmosphere shifted to incorporate the Name, Image and Likeness contracts we see today, the politics surrounding it were clear-cut. 

Simply put, everyone makes money under NIL. For the schools, it creates a drive to donate and boost the sports programs. For external companies, they get the added benefit of having a notable athlete, and often a national star, to promote their product or service. 

And for the athletes, they have the opportunity to make money through promotions and brand deals.That’s the main driver of NIL becoming a unifying topic in Washington D.C. — it just works for everyone. 

The feeling has caused even Republican Senators such as Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) to team up with the Independent Senator Joe Manchin (I-WV) and Democratic Senators such as Cory Booker (D-NJ) in order to draw up ways to make the fairly new concept of NIL run smoother. 

For example, Booker, along with Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Jerry Moran (R-KS), announced a bipartisan draft in July 2023 that created mediating organizations that monitored contract situations, promoted athletes’ health and wellness and brought more transparency on how deals are made and their details, among many other topics. 

In July 2023, Manchin and Tuberville announced a draft bill of their own that took a more hands-on approach to managing the NIL landscape. This bill, for the most part, wanted to give schools more power to control NIL internally, as it discussed limiting boosters and NIL-centric donations that come from outside the university. 

Can we discuss here the difference between the two and what their implications are? Its ok if we’re a bit over in word count

All in all, the sports world, other than the opinions of high-profile athletes, has little to say on this election. However, it’s important to consider the ramifications of each candidate’s ability to help get the previously discussed bills passed, so this NIL landscape can receive needed guidance through law.