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ARTICLE · 19 JANUARY 2026

FTC Puts Student-Athlete Representation Back In The Spotlight

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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has sent a clear signal to the sports industry: Compliance with the Sports Agent Responsibility and Trust Act (SPARTA) is back on the enforcement radar.

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FTC Puts Student-Athlete Representation Back in the Spotlight

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has sent a clear signal to the sports industry: Compliance with the Sports Agent Responsibility and Trust Act (SPARTA) is back on the enforcement radar.

This week, the FTC sent letters to 20 NCAA Division I universities asking whether the agents representing their student-athletes are complying with SPARTA's disclosure and notification requirements. While the law has been on the books since 2004, the agency's outreach to schools suggests renewed scrutiny as name, image and likeness (NIL) and athlete representation continue to expand.

What SPARTA Requires

SPARTA governs how sports agents may recruit and sign student-athletes. Among other things, it requires agents to:

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