The College Athlete Right to Organize Act Introduced in Congress
Senators Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Bernie Sanders of Vermont have announced their push for a bill that will allow collegiate athletes to unionize. If passed, the College Athlete Right to Organize Act will offer these athletes the opportunity to organize and make changes on the university and conference levels.
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SFC Thanks Governor Hogan, Senator Ready, and Delegate Lierman for Passing the Jordan McNair Fair and Safe Play Act
On Tuesday, May 18th, Governor Hogan signed the Jordan McNair Safe and Fair Act into law that now offers economic and wellbeing protections to student-athletes in the state of Maryland.
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Statement on the Ending of USSF and SUM's Official Relationship
Sunday, the US Soccer Federation announced its decision to end the 20-year long partnership with Soccer United Marketing, a move SFC has called for since 2018.
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College Athletes May Soon Benefit from Their Name, Image, and Likeness
The NCAA is taking steps towards allowing student-athletes to use their name, image, and likeness for personal profit. This shift has come from the Board of Governors supporting changing the rule that prevented student-athletes from receiving compensation for using their status as athletes. This includes third-party endorsements and promotion, starting businesses, and personal appearances, all of which can be related to athletics or not.
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Hope Solo, Lisa Stoia, and Nikki Izzo-Brown Fight for Olympic Gender Equality
On Monday, Olympian and SFC Board Member Hope Solo and West Virginia University Women's Soccer Coaches Lisa Stoia and Nikki Izzo-Brown wrote Senators Maria Cantwell (D WA) and Shelley Moore Capito (R WW) calling for the reintroduction of the Equal Pay for Team USA Act. If this bill passes, it will give all Olympian athletes the equality they deserve. Solo, Stoia, and Izzo-Brown call for the reintroduction as Team USA prepares for Tokyo.
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Maryland joins DC and Virginia in adopting the Sports Bettors’ Bill of Rights
On April 12, the Maryland House of Delegates passed a Senate-amended version of HB 940, which legalized sports betting in Maryland. These amendments contained the Sports Bettors’ Bill of Rights, the same consumer protections that govern Virginia and the District of Columbia’s sports betting marketplaces.
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Sports Gambling Legalized in Three States, but Does the Legislation Go Far Enough?
While the tight presidential race had Americans all over the country sweating through Tuesday night, sports gambling legislation passed comfortably in three states: Maryland, South Dakota, and Louisiana. While this appears to be great news for expanding sports bettors' rights everywhere, the legislation passed did not go nearly far enough to educate voters on the specifics for cast informed votes. All three propositions left critical details open that will determine how sports bettors are treated. South Dakota legalized gambling only on the Native American reservation, where all of the state's casinos are located, likely limiting government oversight. In Louisiana, the regulatory framework and tax structure are completely undecided and will be up to the state legislature, not the people, to decide.
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SFC Endorses Senator Booker's College Athletes Bill of Rights
College athletes work long and hard to support a multi-billion dollar enterprise from which they are largely cut out from the profits. Sports Fans Coalition has long advocated for name, image, and likeness rights, health care for student-athletes, and much more. SFC has fought for and alongside college athletes in state legislatures. Now, SFC is excited to join the fight in Washington.
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SFC Opposes FCC Lifting Charter's Merger Conditions
Today, Sports Fans Coalition filed at the Federal Communications Commission alongside Public Knowledge opposing relief on Charter Communication’s merger conditions. Public Knowledge is a public interest group which promotes freedom of expression, an open internet, and access to affordable communications tools and creative works. Sports Fans Coalition has partnered with Public Knowledge many times before to protect sports fans access to online and televised sports.
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SFC's Statement on Racism, Police Brutality, and Violence
Sports Fans Coalition condemns police brutality, racism, and violence. The murder of George Floyd is the latest of a centuries-old list of African-Americans whose lives were taken far too soon. It is time that sports fans take stock on their role in this.
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