California Student Athletes to be paid in 2023
- tunastake
- Oct 6, 2019
- 2 min read
Updated: Oct 7, 2019
Last Monday California governor, Gavin Newsom passed a new law 'The Fair Pay to Play Act' which will allow college athletes (In California) to be paid in 2023 for the use of their names, or image... And the NCAA can’t do a thing about it
The NCAA has always been stingy towards this topic of “Should student-athletes be paid?” From current college athletes, and some former it’s a resounding, yes. From coaches and even some former players, it a no.
It’s been a big topic for years because, more and more, athletes get injured which consequently derails any possibility they have of going pro most of the time. The opposing argument is the fact that most of these players get scholarships, which allows them to get an education for free.
Lou Holtz, a college football legend, said in an interview with Fox & Friends “Let's understand why you got to school, you got to school to get an education.” In this interview, he seamlessly bashed governor Newsom for passing the bill. Holtz asked himself the question “Let's also look, where is that money going? The money’s going to build beautiful weight rooms, beautiful work out areas, supplemental food, great training tables, etc.” This is regarding what the colleges typically do with the revenue they make from each sporting event.
Holtz argues that college, while it’s about the sport, the reason they athletes are coming is for the education. Lebron James, an NBA superstar, argues that student-athletes have been taken advantage of for years upon years.
In an interview after his team practice with the Los Angeles Lakers, he said “For sure I would’ve been one of those kids if I would’ve went off to Ohio State, or if I went off to any one of these- big-time colleges where; pretty much that 23 jersey would’ve got sold all over the place, without my name on the back, and everyone would’ve known the likeness- my body would’ve been on the NCAA basketball game 2004, and- the Schottenstein Center would have been sold out every single night; if I was there.”
California is just the beginning; many states are looking to follow in Newsome’s footsteps and pursue Acts similar to 'The Fair Pay to Play Act'. Soon the NCAA business empire could fall apart if appropriate steps aren’t taken to negotiate.
- Alex Fortuna
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