International student-athletes may be able to access the same Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) opportunities as domestic student-athletes, if a new bill introduced in part by U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) picks up steam.
Introduced today in bipartisan collaboration between Ricketts and U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), The NIL for International Collegiate Athletes Act would allow international student-athletes access to NIL opportunities at the collegiate level.
Currently, the F-1 student visa used by student athletes has conditions and restrictions on employment that do not accommodate NIL agreements. International students have been barred from monetarily gaining from their NIL due to the outdated scope of current international student visa laws. Participating in unauthorized employment can result in consequences an F-1 visa holder.
The Ricketts-Blumenthal legislation would create a sub-category visa class of the F-1 visa, providing work authorization for NIL activity as “incident to status.” This means it would be generally permitted as long as student-athletes were progressing in their degree program. It would also allow designated school officials (DSOs) to provide oversight.
“Nebraska Athletics has a long history of successful student-athletes from around the globe in many of our sports programs, and we support any efforts to enhance the student-athlete experience,” said Trev Alberts, Nebraska Vice Chancellor, Director of Athletics, “This bill would provide our international student-athletes with the same opportunities to monetize their name, image, and likeness as other student-athletes.”