H.R. 2688: Protecting Student Athletes’ Economic Freedom Act of 2025

This bill, known as the Protecting Student Athletes’ Economic Freedom Act of 2025, aims to clarify the employment status of student athletes. Specifically, the bill states that a student athlete or former student athlete participating in varsity intercollegiate athletics cannot be considered an employee of their educational institution, a conference, or an athletic association due to their involvement in sports.

Key Provisions

• The bill prohibits student athletes from being classified as employees under any federal or state laws or regulations based on their participation in varsity sports.
• The legislation aims to maintain the current classification of student athletes as amateurs rather than employees, which has implications for labor laws, compensation, and employment rights.

Definitions

The bill includes specific definitions for terms used throughout the legislation:

• Association: An organization with multiple conferences and institutions that arranges championships and sets rules for varsity athletics.
• Conference: A group of institutions that set rules for competitions and arrange championships but is distinct from an association.
• Institution: Higher education institutions that sponsor varsity intercollegiate athletics programs.
• Student Athlete: An individual participating in a varsity intercollegiate athletics program.
• Varsity Intercollegiate Athletics Competition: Competitions involving teams from different institutions.
• Varsity Intercollegiate Athletics Program: A program organized by an institution's athletic department that competes at the intercollegiate level.
• Varsity Sports Team: A team organized by a varsity intercollegiate athletics program, excluding club or intramural teams.

Implications

By passing this bill, student athletes would not receive the same employment rights and protections that employees typically have. Consequently, institutions and athletic programs may avoid certain responsibilities that come with employee status, such as salary payment, benefits, and labor relations regulations.

Relevant Companies

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