Jahana Hayes Emphasizes The Importance Of College Athlete Unions_ They Can ‘Prioritize Their Academics’

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During a House Education and the Workforce Committee hearing before the congressional recess, Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-CT) questioned witnesses on the benefits of college athlete unions.

Transcript

00:00The gentlelady, now I recognize the gentlelady from Connecticut, Representative Hayes.

00:04Thank you, and thank you to our witnesses for being here today to testify.

00:09I apologize for coming in late, I'm juggling multiple hearings.

00:13College athletics has become a multi-billion dollar industry,

00:17with the National Collegiate Athletic Association, or the NCAA,

00:21bringing in nearly $1.4 billion in revenue in 2024.

00:25I can tell you that I have absolute faith in college sports,

00:30being from the Basketball Championship of the World,

00:33where our UConn women just won a 12th national title.

00:37It is the only sport we have.

00:40Our UConn, our college athletes is Connecticut, I mean, we have Connecticut Sun now,

00:44but college athletics is Connecticut sports,

00:47and this is a conversation we have often at home.

00:50And immediately after that win,

00:53one of the things that Coach Auriemma spoke about

00:56was the disparities for college athletes.

00:58So it is very fitting that we're having this hearing here today.

01:02For many young people, an athletic scholarship can be a pathway out of poverty,

01:07but a scholarship alone does not help an athlete trying to feed themselves

01:11or provide for their families back at home.

01:14These scholarships are typically contingent upon an athlete

01:16being enrolled as a full-time student

01:18and meeting specific academic requirements.

01:21Across various sports and divisions,

01:23college athletes report spending between 30 to 50 hours a week

01:30on athletic activities,

01:31despite NCAA caps on the number of hours athletes may engage in,

01:36quote, countable athletically-related activities.

01:39In fact, many athletes report feeling pressured to attend

01:42so-called voluntary athletic sessions for fear of retaliation,

01:47or they're worried they may lose their spot on their team

01:50or incur a broader punishment for their teammates.

01:53This is an incredible level of control over how a person spends their time

01:57and fulfills the basic requirements of being a member of a team.

02:01While a large part of the conversation around college athletics

02:04and collective bargaining centers around monetary compensation,

02:08a union also provides security for its members

02:10when facing excessive demands.

02:14Mr. Umma, could you please explain how union representation

02:17could help athletes pressure to invest excessive hours

02:20in outside activities?

02:23Absolutely.

02:24I mean, if you look at the pros, they have unions,

02:26and I think that many people watching today would love

02:30if they're sibling, child, if they were in the pros,

02:33and they have unions,

02:35and they negotiate how long their time demands are

02:39on their athletics.

02:40So I think, first and foremost,

02:42anyone that has concern about the overemphasis of athletics,

02:47overcoming academics and affecting graduation rates,

02:50has to recognize that the athletes,

02:53if they had a union and could collectively bargain,

02:56could try to reduce hours that are required of them.

03:00There are more than 500,000 NCAA college athletes,

03:03but fewer than 2% of them will go on to play sports professionally.

03:08The NCAA has pointed this out in social media campaigns in recent years.

03:13The demands of an athletic schedule can often stand in the way

03:16of a student pursuing internships, career workshops,

03:19and other types of training that will help them

03:22in their postgraduate years.

03:24Every college athlete should have the flexibility

03:26to ensure that they can pursue their dreams

03:28of playing collegiate sports

03:29and invest in their futures after college.

03:33Unions provide their members with a seat at the table

03:35and can do the same for college athletes.

03:38Mr. Uma, what benefits could union representation offer

03:41so that college athletes can prioritize their academics

03:44and post-college goals while meeting the vigor of an athletic schedule?

03:50And that's a great question.

03:51You know, beyond just reducing the time demands,

03:54there could be ironclad agreements

03:56that ensure that their scholarship isn't revocable at each year,

04:00that a coach can't quote-unquote fire you or run you off

04:03because despite the promises and the rhetoric

04:05that if athletes become employees, they could suddenly be fired,

04:09they're getting fired all the time for years and years.

04:11The coach creates a hostile work environment, breaks the athlete mentally

04:14to the point where they want to transfer or quit their sport altogether.

04:18That can be negotiated.

04:20The terms of whether, you know, a person could be fired or not,

04:23and that is, as we've mentioned, tied to your educational opportunity.

04:27Post-eligibility as well, if you need another semester or two to graduate

04:31because you've been dealing with such high athletic demands,

04:34that could be negotiated.

04:36You know, how about an extra couple years to graduate?

04:39Again, not as a verbal promise that no one's enforcing,

04:42but under an agreement.

04:44And like I said, from a state like Connecticut,

04:48where college sports, college athletes is our sport,

04:52they're making big money right now in Connecticut off of this championship.

04:55I yield back.

04:57The gentlelady yields back.

04:59I yield back.

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