NCAA and its allies spent $750K on lobbying last year amid push for athlete pay

The NCAA and its allies spent more than $750,000 on lobbying last year as the push to pay athletes intensified. 

The NCAA said it spent $450,000 on in-house and outside lobbyists last year. Two of the Power Five conferences contributed another $300,000 for lobbyists, according to The Associated Press.

The association is attempting to get U.S. lawmakers on its side after several states made moves to pass legislation to allow athletes to make endorsement money, including California, which is set to go into effect in 2023.

The NCAA agreed in the fall that it will develop rules to permit athletes to “benefit from the use of their name, image and likeness.” But it wants Congress to get involved to avoid more states from passing more athlete-friendly laws across the country.

The organizations representing the athletes on the other hand do not have any lobbyists on their side

“The NCAA is going to fight for the status quo,” said Ramogi Huma, executive director of the National College Players Association, according to the AP.

Rep. Mark Walker (R-N.C.) said “there’s no question” the NCAA lobbying money has been effective.

“The NCAA is already at a position of power,” Walker said, according to the AP. “Otherwise you would have seen progress. … There’s been little to nothing done in this arena, and had the student-athlete had proper representation on the federal level, we’d be much further down this path than we are.”

The AP’s report comes as the Senate plans to have a hearing on player compensation on Tuesday.