![](https://www.pymnts.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/002-1-e1632315029515.jpg)
On Tuesday, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul made a bold statement that drew criticism from across the political spectrum. At a hearing for a PGA-LIV Golf merger, Paul expressed strong opposition to antitrust laws in college sports, claiming that allowing players to monetize their “Name, Image, and Likess (NIL) rights would lead to basketball players becoming “rap stars” instead of “basketball stars”.
Paul, a long-time lawmaker, expressed disappointment that amateur athletes can no longer compete without being paid. “Many of us loved watching amateur athletes that weren’t paid,” Paul said. “Now everybody that plays basketball in college is gonna be driving a Bentley or a Rolls. I mean, we’re gonna be seeing rap stars instead of basketball stars.” This statement caused a stir on social media, with many decrying Paul’s seemingly racist undertones.
Sports radio host Matt Jones, who is not a fan of Paul but who nevertheless denounced his comment, stated: “To pick out one group of athletes making money (basketball players) and say they are now ‘rap stars’ is totally about race. He doesn’t mention Football, Baseball, [or] women athletes or say they are ‘Rock stars.’ It’s pitiful.”
Read more: As The NCAA’s Antitrust Battle Intensifies, 2021 Could Bring Monumental Change To College Sports
Journalist David Gardner also questioned Paul’s stance as a supposed free-market capitalist, tweeting: “Free market capitalist Rand Paul wants to prevent people from making money on the free market.”
Amid the criticism, many have come out in favor of Paul’s views. Most notably, Kentucky Wildcats basketball coach John Calipari said that he believed NIL should be “transformational, not transactional.” Calipari suggested that players should be able to use some NIL money to take care of their families, while the rest should be put into a trust fund upon the student-athlete leaving school.
Although Sen. Paul’s comments have been attacked from all sides, his sentiment that college sports have lost some of their magic is not without merit. For years, the entire amateur athletics system was built on the backs of labor that wasn’t being paid, most of the prominent sports like football and men’s basketball being the cash cows for universities and built on the backs of predominantly Black players. The concept of not paying your labor and keeping them broke, while athletic programs rake in millions and millions of dollars does have a racial aspect to it.
At the same time, Paul also conceded that there are legitimate questions surrounding the PGA Tour-LIV merger that reportedly includes Saudi Arabian funding. But Paul concluded that the US government should not involve itself in the process,
“I find no grounds for government to be involved in the game of golf,” he said.
What is clear, however, is that Paul has called attention to a trend that was bound to happen sooner or later. The discussion around NIL has always had a racial undertone, and it is perhaps time that we listen to it. Should college athletes be allowed to make money? Should they be given the same economic freedoms as professional athletes? These are questions that cannot be answered by a single Senator’s comments, rather, they should be the center of a much larger conversation.
Featured News
Geradin Partners Expands Paris Office with Key Hire
Aug 30, 2024 by
CPI
Judge Accuses Google of ‘Clear Abuse’ in Antitrust Case Over Deleted Employee Chats
Aug 29, 2024 by
CPI
Hong Kong Cleaning Company Employee Charged in Historic Antitrust Investigation Case
Aug 29, 2024 by
CPI
Inside the Yelp Suit: Allegations of Google’s Abuse of Search Power
Aug 29, 2024 by
CPI
AI Safety Bill Clears Hurdle in California, Heads to Governor’s Desk
Aug 29, 2024 by
CPI
Antitrust Mix by CPI
Antitrust Chronicle® – State Attorneys General
Aug 22, 2024 by
CPI
CPI Talks… …With Attorney General Phil Weiser
Aug 22, 2024 by
CPI
The Bipartisan Miracle of State Antitrust Enforcement
Aug 22, 2024 by
Gwendolyn J. Lindsay Cooley
Recent Developments in State Antitrust Enforcement: Agriculture and Food Markets
Aug 22, 2024 by
Elizabeth R. Odette
State Attorneys General: Stewards of Consumer Health and Welfare
Aug 22, 2024 by
Brooke Howlett Lovrovich