Rand Paul: Politicians should stay out of college sports and let athletes compete freely

The people who oversee the Post Office now want to run college sports ... what could go wrong? The United States Congress has been called upon during the most important moments in American history to make difficult decisions about the future of our country.

We have navigated wars, economic downturns and national disasters.

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The Founders never intended for the federal government to usurp the authority of your local school board or your homeowners’ association.

I don’t think it ever occurred to them that Congress would one day be charged with dictating the rules for college sports.

And yet, with gas at over $4 a gallon, a persistent war with Iran and $40 trillion in debt, the Senate decided the most urgent thing it should do is dictate how college sports are run from Washington.

It came to this decision, of course, after acknowledging that government caused the very problems this bill purports to fix.

This is the exact scenario the great Harry Browne described when he said government "knows how to break your legs, then hand you a crutch and say, ‘See, if it weren’t for government, you wouldn’t be able to walk.’" I come to the floor today to offer an amendment that would avoid the federal takeover of college sports.

Unlike the underlying bill, my amendment rejects the idea that politicians should run college sports.

My amendment would put the trust in the schools, students, coaches and conferences to run their own sports.

My amendment accomplishes this goal simply by granting an antitrust exemption so that college athletes and schools can make their own deals, without unelected judges or politicians micromanaging every detail of compensation and eligibility.

Jason Russell, a journalist with Reason magazine perhaps summed up this bill’s federal takeover of college sports best when he wrote: "The backers of the bill believe politicians, not the NCAA, should decide how many transfers are allowed.

They think politicians, not conferences, should set a compensation cap on how much schools can pay athletes.