US President Donald Trump’s dislike for the NIL system in college sports may end up bringing a major reform as he reportedly looks pursue federal measures to address NIL issues or regulate the system more strictly.
During his appearance honoring the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team at the White House, Trump said the current NIL system is “a disaster for college sports.” He added that it will highly impair the US’s ability to compete at the Olympics, as several universities are looking to shut down programs because they don’t result in good revenue, as football and men’s basketball do.
“I think the NIL is a disaster for sports. It’s horrible for the Olympics, and I think it’s actually horrible for the players,” Trump said. “Those sports don’t exist because they’re putting all their money into football, and by the way, they’re putting too much money into football.”
This is a result of the House v. NCAA settlement that allows universities to pay up to $20.5 million per year to their athletes. Because of this, the universities are largely using this sum to attract top talent in football and basketball through NIL money, resulting in the elimination of non-generating revenue sports.
“You can’t pay a quarterback $14 million to come out of high school. They don’t even know if he’s going to be a very good player,” Trump said. “Colleges cannot afford to pay the kind of salaries you’re hearing out there.”
In order to keep these NIL dealings in check or maybe even put a stop at it, Trump indicated a possible interference of the federal government.
“You’re going to have these colleges wipe themselves out. And something ought to be done and I’m willing to put the federal government behind it,” Trump said.
Donald Trump Fears the Worst For College Sports If NIL System Continues
Given the spike in NIL payments, US President Donald Trump thinks that this could wipe out some of the top programs in the country if nothing is done to control, regulate or eliminate.
“But if it’s not done fast, you’re going to wipe out colleges. They’re going to get wiped out, including ones that do well in football,” Trump said. “Colleges cannot afford to play this game, and it’s a very bad thing that’s happening.”
Overall, Trump thinks that this NIL payments are not for the betterment of the sports and are instead dragging the entire college sports ecosystem into the toilet.
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