Amateurism and College Athlete Compensation in Connecticut and Beyond
Sports and Entertainment Law Section Meeting
Michael F. Freeman, Chair
Program Organizer
Daniel R. Cooper, Cooper & Kurz
Co-Sponsored by
Quinnipiac University School of Law Sports and Entertainment Law Society
Emily McCarthy, President | Amanda Calamito, Immediate Past President
CLE Credits
CT: 1.0 CLE Credits | NY: 1.0 CLE Credits
Cost: Free
Moderator
Jordan E. Sala, Associate, Cohen & Wolf, P.C.
Speakers
Nathan Lavallee, Senior Associate University Counsel, University of Connecticut
Robert J. Romano, Assistant Professor of Sport Management, St. John’s University
Program Description
In response to a growing movement calling for more equitable opportunity to be compensated for the use of collegiate athletes’ name, image or likeness (NIL) or at least for athletes to receive a share of the college or university’s/NCAA’s revenues in connection with the use of athletes’ NIL, California passed sweeping legislation last year providing for athletes to be able to receive compensation for use of their NIL. The NCAA has also haltingly reversed its decades long policy of forbidding athlete compensation. This sea change in the bargaining power and marketability of college athletes has led other states, including Connecticut, to explore legislation that would similarly allow talented athletes to receive fair compensation for their NIL.
This program will explore the legal issues surrounding college athlete compensation and the legal and professional interests of the various parties in the equation—the athletes, the colleges and universities, third parties and, of course, the NCAA. The program will discuss compliance issues for colleges and universities, the goals of protection for athletes and whether the regulatory architecture on the issue facilitates the goal of fair compensation, the future of amateurism and the universe of athletes affected by this change, and the potential for federal legislation.