During a House Education and the Workforce Committee hearing before the congressional recess, Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-CT) questioned witnesses on the benefits of college athlete unions.
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00:00The gentlelady, now I recognize the gentlelady from Connecticut, Representative Hayes.
00:04Thank you, and thank you to our witnesses for being here today to testify.
00:09I apologize for coming in late, I'm juggling multiple hearings.
00:13College athletics has become a multi-billion dollar industry,
00:17with the National Collegiate Athletic Association, or the NCAA,
00:21bringing in nearly $1.4 billion in revenue in 2024.
00:25I can tell you that I have absolute faith in college sports,
00:30being from the Basketball Championship of the World,
00:33where our UConn women just won a 12th national title.
00:37It is the only sport we have.
00:40Our UConn, our college athletes is Connecticut, I mean, we have Connecticut Sun now,
00:44but college athletics is Connecticut sports,
00:47and this is a conversation we have often at home.
00:50And immediately after that win,
00:53one of the things that Coach Auriemma spoke about
00:56was the disparities for college athletes.
00:58So it is very fitting that we're having this hearing here today.
01:02For many young people, an athletic scholarship can be a pathway out of poverty,
01:07but a scholarship alone does not help an athlete trying to feed themselves
01:11or provide for their families back at home.
01:14These scholarships are typically contingent upon an athlete
01:16being enrolled as a full-time student
01:18and meeting specific academic requirements.
01:21Across various sports and divisions,
01:23college athletes report spending between 30 to 50 hours a week
01:30on athletic activities,
01:31despite NCAA caps on the number of hours athletes may engage in,
01:36quote, countable athletically-related activities.
01:39In fact, many athletes report feeling pressured to attend
01:42so-called voluntary athletic sessions for fear of retaliation,
01:47or they're worried they may lose their spot on their team
01:50or incur a broader punishment for their teammates.
01:53This is an incredible level of control over how a person spends their time
01:57and fulfills the basic requirements of being a member of a team.
02:01While a large part of the conversation around college athletics
02:04and collective bargaining centers around monetary compensation,
02:08a union also provides security for its members
02:10when facing excessive demands.
02:14Mr. Umma, could you please explain how union representation
02:17could help athletes pressure to invest excessive hours
02:20in outside activities?
02:23Absolutely.
02:24I mean, if you look at the pros, they have unions,
02:26and I think that many people watching today would love
02:30if they're sibling, child, if they were in the pros,
02:33and they have unions,
02:35and they negotiate how long their time demands are
02:39on their athletics.
02:40So I think, first and foremost,
02:42anyone that has concern about the overemphasis of athletics,
02:47overcoming academics and affecting graduation rates,
02:50has to recognize that the athletes,
02:53if they had a union and could collectively bargain,
02:56could try to reduce hours that are required of them.
03:00There are more than 500,000 NCAA college athletes,
03:03but fewer than 2% of them will go on to play sports professionally.
03:08The NCAA has pointed this out in social media campaigns in recent years.
03:13The demands of an athletic schedule can often stand in the way
03:16of a student pursuing internships, career workshops,
03:19and other types of training that will help them
03:22in their postgraduate years.
03:24Every college athlete should have the flexibility
03:26to ensure that they can pursue their dreams
03:28of playing collegiate sports
03:29and invest in their futures after college.
03:33Unions provide their members with a seat at the table
03:35and can do the same for college athletes.
03:38Mr. Uma, what benefits could union representation offer
03:41so that college athletes can prioritize their academics
03:44and post-college goals while meeting the vigor of an athletic schedule?
03:50And that's a great question.
03:51You know, beyond just reducing the time demands,
03:54there could be ironclad agreements
03:56that ensure that their scholarship isn't revocable at each year,
04:00that a coach can't quote-unquote fire you or run you off
04:03because despite the promises and the rhetoric
04:05that if athletes become employees, they could suddenly be fired,
04:09they're getting fired all the time for years and years.
04:11The coach creates a hostile work environment, breaks the athlete mentally
04:14to the point where they want to transfer or quit their sport altogether.
04:18That can be negotiated.
04:20The terms of whether, you know, a person could be fired or not,
04:23and that is, as we've mentioned, tied to your educational opportunity.
04:27Post-eligibility as well, if you need another semester or two to graduate
04:31because you've been dealing with such high athletic demands,
04:34that could be negotiated.
04:36You know, how about an extra couple years to graduate?
04:39Again, not as a verbal promise that no one's enforcing,
04:42but under an agreement.
04:44And like I said, from a state like Connecticut,
04:48where college sports, college athletes is our sport,
04:52they're making big money right now in Connecticut off of this championship.
04:55I yield back.
04:57The gentlelady yields back.
04:59I yield back.