The King has spoken. LeBron James voiced his support for a proposal that would allow universities in California to pay student athletes earlier today. The measure picked up some traction over the spring, but it had largely receded into the background over the last few months. James’ tweet has pushed the matter back to the front though, setting off further debate about the issue.
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
In the spring, California passed a measure that would allow collegiate athletes to receive money for their name and likeness by 2023. The NCAA vehemently protested the proposal indicating that they might take action against member schools if the law came to fruition. NCAA president Mark Emmert even hinted that schools could be banned from participating in championships.
Both parties are now waiting on the results of an NCAA study that is expected to be released in September, but the NCAA is not currently portrayed in a good light. Public opinion has swung in support of paying student athletes over the last decade, and more public figures are supporting the measure. James is the biggest name yet to call on the organization to allow players to be paid for their efforts, and California has some serious power. The state hosts 24 of the NCAA’s 351 Division I programs.
The NCAA’s biggest allies in this fight are a handful of those individual schools. Stanford and USC are both against the measure, and Stanford AD Bernard Muir expressed his displeasure in a letter to the California State Senate:
“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 said in his letter. “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.”
H/T ESPN
