Some College Athletes are about to get Paid
We are still not sure if there will be college sports in the first semester, but on Wednesday, we are getting closer to the point where athletes will have a chance to make some money.
Under a new NCAA proposal, college athletes could earn money from the use of their name, image and likeness. That means athletes can appear in advertisements and mention their school and sport, but not wear the school's logo or branding in any of the advertisements. This will also include opportunities for social media, businesses and personal appearances. The proposal is expected to go into effect starting in the 2021-22 season.
That's great news for college athletes, but let's face it. This will only impact a small percentage of athletes at Power Five schools in football and basketball.
What the NCAA is trying to do is to not have college or universities pay their student-athletes, but since they basically can't work, use their status to get paid from a third party. According to ESPN.com, the NCAA will not likely vote on the proposed changes until January of 2021.
According to a release by the NCAA, they will also ask Congress to create federal legislation to override state laws that allow student-athletes to be paid. That would target California, who in 2019 was the first start to open the door to college players earning money from endorsements.
The elephant in the room is whether the NCAA can keep college sports (mainly football and basketball) from becoming a professional league. But using athletes to make billions, while coaches make millions wasn't going to last forever. At some point, some of the athletes need to get a piece of the pie, even if it's a small piece.
