Ted Cruz And Maria Cantwell Would Be Wise To Let College Football Be

BusinessPolicyTed Cruz And Maria Cantwell Would Be Wise To Let College Football BeByJohn Tamny,Contributor.Follow AuthorMay 22, 2026, 01:30pm EDTNEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 01: Texas Longhorns linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. (0) during the CFP Semifinal Allstate Sugar Bowl game between the Texas Longhorns and the Washington Huskies on January 01, 2024, at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by John Korduner/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesName, Image and Likeness (NIL) for college football players was always a bad solution in search of a problem. Hopefully Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) recognize this truth before foisting another national solution on college football. Exactly because college football is such a lucrative industry, how dangerous for the Senators to enter what’s prosperous with a one-size-fits-all solution crafted by the most disdained legislative body in America. Alas, we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Looking back to the pre-NIL era, players were obviously paid. Which is an observation as illuminating as one about gambling taking place in casinos. Where there’s talent there’s always money, and lots of it. With some of the world’s greatest athletes playing on Saturdays for schools formerly attended by so many wildly rich alums, money finding players was implied. That well-compensated coaches came as part of the talent package was another blinding glimpse of the obvious. Talent requires the best instruction, and realistically the best of everything.Which is a reminder that in the pre-NIL era, athletes were in no way exploited. Not only was there money everywhere, but their scholarships came with an agreement that spanned a lifetime to complete their degree, facilities that in most instances put those of the NFL to shame, and a rolodex their fellow collegians would have given anything for. What prevailed pre-NIL was player friendly precisely because it was fan friendly. Get it? The passion...