Tuberville, Husted Introduce Bill to Prioritize American Collegiate Athletes Over International Student Athletes

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) joined U.S. Senator Jon Husted (R-OH) in introducing the Training and Education for American Members in University Sports and Athletics (TEAM USA) Act. Their bill would protect opportunities for American student-athletes by limiting international student-athlete (ISA) participation to no more than 20% of each varsity sports team.

"Playing sports on the collegiate level in America is an honor athletes spend years working toward," said Sen. Tuberville. "Universities should be prioritizing AMERICAN students when giving out scholarships and building their rosters. Sadly, this is often not the case. NIL is continuing to incentivize foreign students to come to America and capitalize on our system. Saving sports should start and end with American athletes."

U.S. Representative Tim Walberg (R-MI-05) led the effort in the House of Representatives.

Read full text of the bill here.

BACKGROUND:

Each year, NCAA Division I and II schools provide more than $4 billion in athletic scholarships to over 197,000 student-athletes. Since 2001, the number of ISAs receiving scholarships has nearly tripled, from approximately 8,945 to roughly 25,000 today.

Only about 2% of American high school athletes receive an athletic scholarship. In several Division I sports, ISAs account for more than a third of participants, with some exceeding 60%.

The TEAM USA Act would:

• Amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require colleges and universities participating in Title IV federal student aid programs to limit ISA participation to no more than 20% of each varsity team's roster. Schools would also be required to report ISA participation on each team annually to the U.S. Department of Education and the applicable athletic association.
• Aim to strengthen the American Olympic development pipeline. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, 65% of Team USA were current, former or incoming NCAA student-athletes. However, of the 1,036 NCAA-affiliated athletes who competed in Paris, only 385 represented the United States, with the other 63% competing for other nations.
• Ensure that every team can roster at least 1 ISA if they so choose.
• Take effect beginning with the 2029-2030 academic year, to minimize disruption to current student athletes already on campus and to give schools and athletic programs time to adjust recruiting practices.

Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans' Affairs, HELP and Aging Committees.

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