College athletes to be remunerated through athletic endorsements starting 2023 has been approved; the bill has been tabled before the California state legislature that but it is not known whether the Governor will sign it into law or not.
According to Jasmine Harris, a professional in student-athletes, if the bill called “Fair Pay to Play Act,” is signed into law, college athletics will be considerably altered.
College athletes will not be exploited
One of the clauses of the bill stipulates that its objective is hindering the exploitation of college athletes.
Realistically, college athletics has become a lucrative business and students are usually taken advantage of as they the least beneficiaries despite them being the primary stakeholders.
Additionally, college athletes are not permitted to get any form of compensation based on their likeness or image.
This industry generates huge revenues through sponsorship deals, TV distribution agreements, and ticket sales. Nevertheless, the money raised does not go back to college athletes as it caters for various needs, such as new dorms and coaches salaries, among others.
The lack of compensation of college athletes has been detrimental because less than two percent (2%) of them end up being professionals.
The bill, therefore, seeks to transform this approach by compensating college athletes for the efforts they render. For instance, they spend between thirty-two and forty-four (32-44) hours weekly practicing.
College athletes should be compensated
The fact that college athletes usually spend nearly three (3) times of their time on athletic responsibilities as compared to their academic or student ones has been in oblivion.
This is, however, changing because different stakeholders have been calling for college athletes to be paid for the efforts or work they inculcate.
For instance, Bernie Sanders, the Vermont Senator and a Democratic presidential hopeful, tweeted on September 6 that college athletes ought to be viewed as workers; hence, they should be remunerated for the services rendered.
One of the reasons for college athletes not being paid for services rendered is the notion that they usually receive scholarships.
Some opponents of this idea, however, assert that a scholarship only covers books, fees, tuition, and accommodation, and this is usually not enough for college athletes.
On the other hand, the notion of having the bill enacted until 2023 is to give the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) time to have the present bylaws adjusted.
