Husted speaks on protecting college sports opportunities for American student-athletes

“If you ask Congress to protect college sports, you should be protecting it for American student-athletes.” View Husted’s remarks here . WASHINGTON – Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) delivered a speech on the Senate floor today highlighting the need for Congress to protect college sports opportunities for American student-athletes. Husted spoke in support of his bill with Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.), the Training and Education for American Members in University Sports and Athletics (TEAM USA) Act. The TEAM USA Act would protect opportunities for American student-athletes by limiting international student-athlete (ISA) participation to no more than 20% of each varsity sports team. Each year, NCAA Division I and II schools provide more than $4 billion in athletic scholarships to over 197,000 student-athletes. Since 2001, the number of ISAs receiving scholarships has nearly tripled, from approximately 8,945 to roughly 25,000 today. Only about 2% of American high school athletes receive an athletic scholarship. In several Division I sports, ISAs account for more than a third of participants, with some exceeding 60%. Key excerpts include: “I rise today to speak about the future of college athletics and American student-athletes. “Congress is being asked to take action to save college sports. “Well, as we consider what we need to do to save college sports, we better make sure that we’re focused on saving it for American student-athletes.” . . . “For generations, college sports have become a part of our culture, particularly in a state like Ohio. “A lot of states love their college sports. “It’s part of American culture. “And it is an important part of campus life for many American students.” . . . “I grew up very rural and went to high school in a small town, and no one in my family had attended college. . . . “The only thing I wanted to do as a kid was to play college football.” . . . “For me, I ended up playing football at the University of Dayton.” . . . “The good news is that if you develop that character that you get from sports like football, where you get knocked down and you’ve got to get back up, you learn never to quit. “That’s why sports are such an important part of people’s lives.” . . . “I would never have developed that character without the opportunity to play sports. “And I tell you today, there’s no way I’d be standing here as a U.S. Senator if it weren’t for college athletics giving me the chance to develop myself from a kid who grew up where I didn’t know anybody that went to college, to somebody who not only graduated, but got a chance to succeed in athletics.” . . . “And I want that for everybody in this country.” . . . “But increasingly, American student-athletes are being denied this opportunity because more and more roster spots are going to student-athletes who are from other nations.” . . . “While the Protect College Sports Act takes a material step towards making our nation’s college sports competitive again, one critical omission exists in it. “It doesn’t look out for American student-athletes in their academic and athletic journeys.” . . . “And there’s no incentive for colleges to prioritize American student athletes. “And with the NIL funds that are coming in, it’s going to create a bigger and bigger incentive for pro-athletes from other nations to come play college sports in America and take roster spots away from American citizens.” . . . “If you ask Congress to protect college sports, you should be protecting it for American student athletes. “And that’s why, Mr. President, I introduced the Training and Education for American Members in University Sports and Athletics Act, the TEAM USA Act, with House Education and Workforce Chair Walberg. “The TEAM USA Act would encourage universities to prioritize American students when recruiting the best talent.” . . . “And the proposal places a 20% cap on international student roster spots per sport, with delayed implementation, so that current student-athletes are not disrupted. “So, understand I’m not calling for a ban. “We welcome international student athletes to America for 20% of the roster spots. “That’s fine. “But we have some rosters in which there is not a single United States citizen on that roster.” . . . “As Congress considers the future of NIL and college sports, protecting opportunities for American student-athletes must come first. “American colleges and universities are increasingly giving scholarships and these limited roster spots to foreign athletes. “The growth of NIL money only creates more incentives for foreign athletes to cash in on the American system at the expense of student-athletes in this country.” . . . “We can balance both. We can find a way to welcome the best from other nations and protect roster spots for American student-athletes.” View Husted’s full remarks here .