College athletes to get paid after NCAA settlement

The change may come as early as the 2025 fall semester

(Image credit: Brett Wilhelm / NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

published 24 May 2024

What happened

The NCAA and five power conferences agreed Thursday to a $2.77 billion settlement that paves the way for schools to directly pay college athletes starting as soon as fall 2025. The agreement effectively kills the NCAA's century-old "bedrock amateurism model," The Associated Press said.

The 10-year settlement "will provide benefits to student-athletes and provide clarity in college athletics across all divisions for years to come," the NCAA said in a joint statement with the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC. It leaves a bunch of questions unsettled, including "who will get paid and how much," The Wall Street Journal said.

Whatever the final terms, "the most far-reaching component is a new revenue-sharing model, which would pay athletes a cut of money their schools generate from broadcast rights deals, ticket sales and sponsorships," The Washington Post said.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.