In the NYT here. Similar legislation has already been introduced in a few other states:
Gov. Gavin Newsom of California signed into law a plan to allow college athletes to strike endorsement deals, intensifying the legal and political clashes that could ultimately transform the economics of college sports.
The governor’s signature opened a new front of legal pressure against the amateurism model that has been foundational to college sports but has restricted generations of students from earning money while on athletic rosters.
If the law survives any court challenges, the business of sports would change within a few years for public and private universities in California, including some of the most celebrated brands in American sports. So, too, would the financial opportunities for thousands of student-athletes, who have long been forbidden from trading on their renown to promote products and companies.
“Every single student in the university can market their name, image and likeness; they can go and get a YouTube channel, and they can monetize that,” Newsom said in an interview with The New York Times. “The only group that can’t are athletes. Why is that?
I would feel a lot more comfortable watching college sports with high chances of injury (particularly football) if I knew the athletes were getting paid.
With any luck this will just wipe out semi-pro college sports. Win win.
When those go away non-revenue sports will die as we know them also. It will be interesting to see that intersection as well as the impact to Title IX.
It sure will be traumatic for the rich parents who will have to pay for their kids’ college *and* 4 years of tennis or golf coaching.
A lot of middle class parents send their kids to college on scholarships for non revenue generating sports. Those scholarships, competition and travel are funded largely on the back of the ” revenue generating” sports. Have you met parents of athletes in track and field, soccer, softball, rowing, etc? They are by and large not rich kids. I am not defending big time revenue sports and the money model. I am only saying that there will consequences intended and unintended of this law.
Frankly I would rather see the NCAA put a percentage of athletic earnings in a trust given to players when they graduate. I would also like to see the NCAA funnel revenue back to the academic enterprises of their member institutions. The product should serve the purpose of a university.
Salem better do this as well or Oregon sports are dead. Almost all our best athletes come from California.