Folks,

Overt disparities in the treatment of the men's and women’s basketball teams competing in the NCAA tournament have raised my ire — and my urgency to address this injustice head-on.

Women competing on the biggest stage of their lives have encountered inadequate training facilities, food quality, and even — unbelievably — less accurate coronavirus tests than the male players.

It’s no secret that despite Title IX, disparities in the women’s and men’s games run rampant throughout the National Collegiate Athletic Association and beyond the March Madness tournament bubbles.

College sports are personal to me. As a high school All-American football player, I earned a scholarship to attend and play tight end at Stanford, which opened countless doors for me. This experience taught me about character, honor, leadership, discipline, and grit. I wouldn’t be where I am today if not for college sports.

But the exploitation I saw as an athlete has only continued to grow in scale.

The men's and women’s basketball tournaments are incredible events — congratulations to the Women’s Champion Stanford Cardinal! The players should share in the profit of the event that does not exist without them.

The NCAA is a $14 billion industry. It takes advantage of college athletes, doesn’t adequately look after their health and safety, subverts their earning potential during their peak athletic years, under-delivers on their promise of a college education, and too often leaves athletes injured with a lifetime of out-of-pocket medical expenses and no support to help pay them.

Black male athletes generate the most college sports revenue, but only 54% of them end up graduating. Men are pitted against women by a system that exploits them both.

I wrote the College Athletes Bill of Rights because we must do better for our college athletes.

My legislation would allow college athletes to monetize their name, image, and likeness — and share in the revenue they help create with their talent, hard work, and sacrifice. It would also establish enforceable, evidence-based health and safety guidelines to better protect them from injury, as well as start prioritizing educational outcomes.

The unequal treatment between women and men at the NCAA tournament is precisely why we must pass reforms like the College Athlete Bill of Rights. Join me and add your name to become a citizen cosponsor of my legislation today.

I am proud of the athletes who have come together to speak out. It’s time for the rest of us to keep up their fight for the justice, fairness, and opportunity that college athletes deserve.

Thank you for raising your voice and joining in our effort,

Cory