On Monday, Sept. 30, the sports world experienced a paradigm shift in which an act to allow college athletes to profit off of their name, image and likeness, formally known as the Fair Pay to Play Act, was approved by California Governor Gavin Newsome. As you can probably assume, the bill received praise from countless athletes; among these athletes was LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers, who was with Newsome when he approved the bill. While it won’t officially be enacted until Jan. 1, 2023, it represents a massive step forward for college athletes and many states have begun to follow suit.
On a national and broader scale than California, Ohio representative Anthony Gonzalez has proposed a national law that would allow college athletes to have the opportunity to make endorsement money.This comes as no surprise to anyone, being that Gonzalez was a former stand out college athlete who would have been given the opportunity to profit off of his talents had he been in college today. Colorado is working on a state law that would allow student athletes to hire agents and accept endorsement deals. The bill has been welcomed and Senator Owen Hill of the Republican party, as well as Democrat Jeff Bridges, are “all in” on the bill. A key clause of the law that differentiates it from many other similar ones is that it would allow said athletes to sue the NCAA, should it choose to retaliate. Bringing it home to Florida, Representative Kionne McGhee filed McGhee’s House Bill 251, going into effect July 1. Similar to the other enactments, image, likeness and name would allow the athlete to profit.
These states are just a few that have made monumental strides in the world of college sports to get student athletes the rewards that they deserve for their hard work. However, there are at least seven other states who are hopping on the wagon as well. What does this mean for the NCAA? Simply put, it means they are no longer able to control what their athletes do. This was the stigma up until this point and many find it fair to allow these young men and women the opportunity to profit when their names are so well known. For some who won’t move onto the next level, it means the only opportunity they may have to earn money playing their sport. They’re putting in as much work as other students are on their part time jobs; why shouldn’t they be allowed to profit?
Photo: R. Shah
