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Charitable Gift America (CGA), the organization that powers the This is Sparta! NIL (name/image/likeness) Cooperative for Michigan State student-athletes, is calling on the NCAA to allow collective bargaining rights for student-athletes. The call comes in the wake of ongoing legal battles in the House v. NCAA settlement negotiations.
The civil lawsuit of House v. NCAA is currently pursuing approval of a $2.8 billion settlement agreement that would see former student-athletes from 2016-2021 eligible for payouts for their involvement in sports during that period; it would also provide revenue sharing with players as early as the 2025-2026 academic year.
The suit gained preliminary approval by Senior District Judge Claudia Wilken of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California earlier this week.
The settlement agreement would have a tentative timeline for its provisions as follows:
- Oct. 18, 2024: Former players will be notified of the decision, and a claims period will begin for eligible people. Only athletes that participated between 2016 and the beginning of the NIL era in 2021 will be eligible, but it should involve many sports.
- Dec. 17, 2024 (60 days after notice): The projected amount of money to be distributed will be publicly available. The final number for specific individuals will depend on a number of factors.
- Jan. 31, 2025 (105 days after notice): The window closes for people to submit claims for compensation, opt out of the settlement, or bring objections to the court.
- April 7, 2025: The court will have a hearing for final approval. Interestingly, the date has this hearing scheduled for the same day as the NCAA men's basketball national championship game in San Antonio, Texas.
If the settlement comes into effect, it would allow schools to share up to $22 million each year with players while creating bigger roster caps in many of the sports offered under the NCAA. It would also open the door for scholarships to an entire roster while empowering greater enforcement capacities for the NCAA as an organization.
"We are thrilled by Judge Wilken's decision to give preliminary approval to the landmark settlement that will help bring stability and sustainability to college athletics while delivering increased benefits to student-athletes for years to come," NCAA president Charlie Baker said in a statement. "Today's progress is a significant step in writing the next chapter for the future of college sports. We look forward to working with all of Division I, and especially student-athlete leadership groups to chart the path forward and drive historic change."
CGA has criticized the ongoing settlement negotiations in House v. NCAA as they do not include any current or future student-athletes in the discussions. Dr. Thomas Dieters, board president of CGA and a board member of the College Football Players Association, said that student-athletes should have the right to engage in collective bargaining to protect their interests.
“Students deserve to have their voices heard,” Dieters said. “If the NCAA tries to limit athlete compensation through this settlement, that’s only going to lead to more lawsuits and legal issues. Collective bargaining is the best answer for collegiate athletics going forward. Schools and leagues that allow the athletes' voices to be heard, and engage in collective bargaining, will have a distinct recruiting advantage over others that attempt to continue the one-sided dialogue.”
CGA has called on the NCAA to allow collective-bargaining rights for student-athletes and include their perspective in the ongoing settlement negotiations.
The This Is Sparta! fund, powered by CGA, currently supports the men's and women's golf team, men's tennis team, men's ice hockey team, five football players, eight softball players, and four baseball players. Among the student-athletes signed to NIL deals with This is Sparta! are 17 international students as well.
CGA has also provided NIL contracts with charitable giving requirements to Big Ten, Big 12, SEC, Horizon League, MAC, AAC, and Southern Conference schools in both men’s and women’s sports. CGA claims to be the only organization in the country that provides opportunities for international athletes to enter into NIL contracts.
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