LeBron James strongly supports the potential of college athletes to profit from endorsements, which is currently prohibited in the state of California. The bill, SB 206, called the Fair Pay to Play Act, is awaiting a vote by the full California State Assembly after being cleared by the Senate. It would prohibit California schools from taking away scholarships or eligibility from college athletes who use their name to earn money.
Everyone is California- call your politicians and tell them to support SB 206! This law is a GAME CHANGER. College athletes can responsibly get paid for what they do and the billions they create.
— LeBron James (@KingJames) September 5, 2019
The Fair Pay to Play Act was introduced in February by state Senators Steven Bradford and Nancy Skinner. It would allow athletes to hire an agent or attorney to represent them in business deals without losing their eligibility. Skinner stated that schools will not have to pay their players, but should guarantee players the same rights given to Olympic athletes. If everything goes according to plan and the law passes, it will go into effect in January 2023.
On the other hand, NCAA president Mark Emmert is not a big fan of the new bill. Back in May, he wrote a letter to California legislators, asking them to consider delaying their vote. Emmert said that California institutions, both private and public, would be banned from participating in NCAA championships if the law passed.
Also, some California schools, including Stanford and USC, are against the bill. Stanford athletic director Bernard Muir wrote a letter to the California State Senate expressing Stanford’s opposition.
“Allowing student-athletes to receive compensation from their name, image, and likeness, would present serious challenges for higher education institutions and to the collegiate sports model,” Muir wrote. “We believe that for any reform to be fair and meaningful to all student-athletes it needs to occur at the national level and be adopted by the NCAA.”
