College sports have provided plenty of thrills already in 2026. We witnessed a dramatic College Football Playoff championship, cheered on Team USA winter olympians who trained through college sports, and experienced the electric drama of March Madness. But behind all the rave, college sports face a crisis that threatens everything we love about it.
The arrival of name, image, and likeness (NIL) was a long-overdue benefit for student-athletes. NIL itself isn’t the problem — it’s the chaotic way it has been implemented. The absence of federal guidelines for NIL produced a system plagued with regulatory woes. Inconsistent enforcement, constant litigation, and a patchwork of state-by-state laws have become the new norm. As a result, athletes, coaches, and universities are left navigating a landscape marked more by uncertainty than opportunity.
What’s become increasingly apparent is that college athletics cannot sustain itself without uniform national standards. As former University of Illinois student-athlete Abby Lynch explained in a recent U.S. Senate hearing, “a federal NIL framework, paired with clear standards for eligibility, recruiting, and transfer activity would help restore competitive equity and provide much needed clarity to all.” Her words reflect a growing consensus among student-athletes that the status quo is simply untenable.
Thankfully, the clear, commonsense solution that college sports needs is already on the table. The Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements (SCORE) Act would establish NIL standards that apply equally to every school in every state, leveling the playing field. It would require athletic departments to sponsor a minimum of 16 varsity sports, protecting programs beyond the handful that generate major revenue.
Likewise, the bill will provide extended medical coverage and mental health resources for athletes while reaffirming a foundational principle: college athletes are students first, not employees subject to the whims of a labor dispute.
The bottom line is the SCORE Act invests in student-athletes and helps preserve the educational foundation of college sports at a scale never seen before, at a time when such action is needed the most.
The consequences of inaction will be felt across all sports programs, but especially in women’s and Olympic sports. While they may not fill 70,000-seat stadiums or generate billion-dollar media deals, they are the ones that give student-athletes in sports like swimming, gymnastics, track, and volleyball their shot at a world-class education and international competitions. They are also the programs most vulnerable to being deprioritized as schools scramble to compete in an NIL arms race they were never equipped to win.
Even President Donald Trump’s latest executive order on college sports acknowledges that Congress alone can provide a permanent fix: “The Congress is strongly encouraged to expeditiously pass legislation that satisfactorily addresses [NIL-related] issues.” Notably, many of the provisions called for in that order are already enshrined in the SCORE Act. The critical difference is that legislation — unlike an executive order — provides the comprehensive framework and legal certainty necessary to withstand the inevitable court challenges.
College sports hold a near and dear place in the hearts of Americans, not just as entertainment but as a cherished institution that prepares young people with skills for life — teamwork, resilience, and dedication. As the nation approaches its 250th anniversary, preserving institutions that unite us should be a priority, not an afterthought. That starts with passing the SCORE Act and strengthening college athletics for future generations.
Lindsay Knapp is a former football player who played for the University of Notre Dame and professionally in the NFL for the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs.