WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, sent a survey to NCAA student athletes across the country to solicit their views on name, image, and likeness (NIL) legislation.

“Student athletes are the essence of college sports, and their voices should be heard in this NIL debate,” said Wicker. “Congress needs to develop legislation that protects their welfare as students and maximizes the opportunities for young men and women to participate in the college sports system. While we have had ongoing discussions with student athletes, I am now reaching out to athletes across the nation to solicit their views on what they would like to see in NIL legislation.”

Survey sent to NCAA student athletes:

The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation has jurisdiction over issues related to youth, amateur, collegiate, and professional sports. Over the past year, the Committee has been working on legislation to provide collegiate student athletes with the right to be compensated for the use of their name, image, and likeness. As the primary stakeholders of such a law, your anonymous answers to the following questions will help inform the Committee’s efforts to develop legislation that prioritizes the perspectives of student athletes across the country.

1. In choosing to apply to a college or university, how important were the following to your decision? (Very Important, Somewhat Important, Not Important)

• Health care/coverage
• Scholarship availability/financial aid
• Reputation of athletics program
• Quality of athletics facilities
• Possibility of going pro

2. Have you ever transferred to another college or university in order to join another athletic program? (No, Once, More than once)

3. Do you know whether your college or university’s state allows or will soon allow student athletes to be compensated for the use of their name, image, and likeness? 

4. In the near future, student athletes in some states will have the right to profit off of their name, image, and likeness, but student athletes in other states will not.  Hypothetically, how important would the availability of the right to profit off of your name, image, and likeness have been to your decision to apply to a college or university? (Very Important, Somewhat Important, Not Important) 

5. Do you know any non-athlete classmates who are being compensated for their name, image, and likeness? (For example, by endorsing brands on social media, by monetizing a video or streaming channel, or by appearing in an advertisement?)

6. Have you ever been denied compensation or foregone any opportunities for compensation because of NCAA rules?

7. If your state passed a law guaranteeing the right of student athletes to profit off of their name, image, and likeness, how likely would you be to look for opportunities to do so? (Very Likely, Somewhat Likely, Not Likely)