NCAA votes to update college athlete pay rules
The players may finally get paid, though there's still a ways to go.
The NCAA Board of Governors voted unanimously Tuesday to allow college athletes to profit from their name, image, and likeness, dependent on certain guidelines. The changes could reportedly take effect immediately so long as everyone adheres to principles, such as: student-athletes largely must be treated similarly to non-athlete students, education must remain a priority, rules should be "transparent, focused, and enforceable" while facilitating "fair and balanced competition," and there must be no compensation for athlete performance. In other words, the money won't be coming directly from the schools, but if all goes according to plan there presumably won't be as much drama over players selling autographs or picking up an endorsement.
A special committee will continue to gather feedback through April 2020, and it has asked all three divisions of the NCAA to make rule changes no later than 2021. "We must embrace change to provide the best possible experience for college athletes," board chair Michael Drake said.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Not everyone is buying the NCAA's rhetoric, though, and the perception that the NCAA is doing this for appearances while secretly preventing any real change certainly exists. That's not to mention the fact that plenty of questions remain as to how the changes will eventually be implemented. Still, others are expressing cautious optimism.
The vote was likely set in motion by California passing a law prohibiting state schools from punishing athletes for accepting endorsement money starting in 2023, which sparked the interest of several states wanting to follow suit. Read more at ESPN and USA Today.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
'Make legal immigration a more plausible option'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
LA-to-Las Vegas high-speed rail line breaks ground
Speed Read The railway will be ready as soon as 2028
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Israel's military intelligence chief resigns
Speed Read Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva is the first leader to quit for failing to prevent the Hamas attack in October
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Caitlin Clark the No. 1 pick in bullish WNBA Draft
Speed Read As expected, she went to the Indiana Fever
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
South Carolina ends perfect season with NCAA title
Speed Read The women's basketball team won a victory over superstar Caitlin Clark's Iowa Hawkeyes
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Iowa's Caitlin Clark breaks NCAA scoring record
speed read College basketball star Caitlin Clark set the new record in Iowa's defeat of Ohio State
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Eight-year-old Brit Bodhana Sivanandan makes chess history
Speed Read Sivanandan has been described as a 'phenomenon' by chess masters
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Watch Simone Biles win her record 8th US gymnastics championship
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Spain beats England 1-0 to win its first Women's World Cup
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
US knocked out of Women's World Cup in stunning exit
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Katie Ledecky surpasses Michael Phelps for most world championship titles
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published