Lawmakers to address college sports NIL 'crisis'

College sports officials spent the past four years seeking federal legislation to block student-athletes from gaining employee status and letting the NCAA impose limits on how much money schools and boosters may give to their athletes.

A bipartisan group of senators is drafting a measure to help prevent a split among NCAA schools.

The NCAA turned to Congress after antitrust lawsuits by athletes limited its ability to maneuver.

Senators from both parties agree that some imperfect action may be better than doing nothing at all.

Republicans favor restoring the NCAA 's ability to make its own rules without government interference.

Democrats have been skeptical of writing the NCAA a blank check based solely on schools' promise that they would do more to serve athletes.

The NCAA is adamantly opposed to college athletes becoming employees.

Schools and their collectives are putting plans in place to work around its intent of creating a fully equal playing field.

Organizations like the Grove Collective work closely with athletic department administrators to steer as much money as possible to their athletes.

Collectives will have to generate somewhere between $5 million to $10 million on top of school's payments.