FTC’s SPARTA-Fueled Inquiry Could Signal Major Shift for College Sports Agents

Despite it being enacted in 2004, the Sports Agent Responsibility and Trust Act, better known as SPARTA, has rarely been used in over 20 years.

In an ever-evolving college sports landscape, however, the Federal Trade Commission may be looking to revive SPARTA to investigate conduct between sports agents and college athletes.

According to the FTC, the government agency sent letters to 20 unnamed universities, requesting information about whether agents working with the school’s athletes are in compliance with SPARTA.

The act, which has been virtually dormant, has not been used by previous FTC warning letters and has rarely been cited in litigation. As sports law expert Michael McCann points out, SPARTA is a federal law that “has never appeared in a court ruling,” according to leading legal databases. 

However, despite its rare usage, SPARTA contains strong protections for college athletes, including the following: