FTC is Seeking Information from 20 Universities on Sports Agents’ Compliance with Law Aimed at Protecting Student Athletes

The Federal Trade Commission is seeking information from 20 universities about whether sports agents who work with student athletes have complied with requirements of the Sports Agent Responsibility and Trust Act (SPARTA), which requires specific disclosures to student athletes and notice to schools.

“Agents that work with student athletes have responsibilities and legal requirements including notifying colleges and universities when their student athletes have signed agent contracts,” said Christopher Mufarrige, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “This inquiry is aimed at better understanding whether sports agents are complying with the law and the degree to which student athletes are being protected.”

Under SPARTA, enacted in 2004, agents must provide a student athlete with a required disclosure, including specific language requirements, before entering into a contract. Agents must also notify a student athlete’s school within 72 hours after entering into a contract with a student athlete or before the next athletic event the student athlete is eligible to participate in, whichever is earlier. The law also prohibits agents from directly or indirectly recruiting a student athlete by giving them any false or misleading information, making a false promise or representation, or providing anything of value to a student athlete or anyone associated with the athlete, before they enter into an agency contract.

In letters sent to the 20 universities, which all have NCAA Division I sports programs, FTC staff is seeking information about whether sports agents are providing disclosures required under the law, including:

• date(s) when the athlete agents notified the schools that the student athlete had entered into an agency contract;
• the name of the agent; and
• whether the schools have received complaints or reports about an athlete agent’s relationship with a student athlete.

The letters request responses from the schools by March 23, 2026.

Student athletes, parents, or schools who have concerns about matters related to sports agents and agents’ compliance with SPARTA can submit a report to the FTC.

The lead staffer on this matter is Joshua M. Bransford in the FTC’s East Central Regional Office.