Washington, DC -- The following is a statement from Sandeep Vaheesan, Legal Director of Open Markets Institute, in response to Senator Cory Booker’s (D-NJ) plan to enforce antitrust law to pay college athletes:

Senator Booker’s plan is long overdue. The NCAA is, in effect, a cartel of employers robbing college athletes of fair, competitive wages, not dissimilar to how corporations in tech and other sectors have conspired to suppress their employees' salaries. The NCAA's collusion should be illegal for standing against basic principles of antitrust law. Indeed, it’s astounding that the powers-that-be have allowed it to go on for so long. We applaud Senator Booker for recognizing this large-scale exploitation and encourage other lawmakers to push for action against the NCAA.