For years, the National Collegiate Athletic Association has enforced a rule that does not allow college students to receive compensation from university athletics.
In September, the governor of California signed a bill that will allow students to profit from endorsements in 2030. Other states like New Jersey are also considering the idea.
Governor Doug Ducey told KJZZ that he would consider the idea, but would not sign anything close to the California bill.
However, the NCAA board recently voted unanimously for the approval of college athletes to receive compensation for their name, image and likeness Tuesday.
“I think college athletes should be paid by outside endorsements and have agents,” said Lourdes Estrada, 20-year-old human nutrition junior and former high school athlete. “But I’m not sure if I support the schools paying them directly because they already get so much from the school that if they want personal sponsorships and such, it should go through outside endorsements that believe their college career can grow into a post-grad profession.”
ASU Professor Don Gibson has more than 30 years of experience as an attorney, business executive and entrepreneur in sports and entertainment industries and believes that because of athletes’ contribution to the marketplace, student athletes should generate income from commercial purposes. He also thinks they should be paid for the exploitation of their name, image and likeness.
“I long predicted this is the direction (the NCAA) would go. When you look at today’s college marketplace, it’s not in the same economic place where the NCAA was when it was first created,” he said. “This decisions eliminates the larger issues of paying college athletes and whether they are employees of the university.”
He also said with third party involvement, and not universities and colleges, it allows student athletes to get income from their fame that the universities aren’t giving them.
“In my opinion I do believe student athletes should get paid. They dedicate so much time to the sport, especially in college,” said Teresa Murray, a 21-year-old criminal justice student and former high school athlete. “March Madness brings in so much money and the players don’t get a cut of any of it. The audience is huge for that time of the year and these people are paying to watch these athletes, so why not pay them?”
ASU’s athletic revenue surpassed $100 million for the first time in fiscal year 2017, reaching $101.5 million, according to an AZCentral article.
Gibson said that the new NCAA decision is not leading to issues that aren’t already prevalent in the recruiting process as it is.
“That’s an issue that is already existing, so the challenge is how we put in place a system that would ensure fairness, and equity, and opportunity for all,” Gibson said.
The decision creates a discussion of how it will affect corruption in the recruitment process.
The NCAA said it is working to make up guidelines and rules to prevent bribery and unfair recruitment of college athletes, according to an Associated Press article.
Many student athletics experience a demanding lifestyle when balancing school with athletics.
“As much as I enjoyed a sport, school came first. Even with the pressure from coaches, I would always place my education first,” said Macy Wright, a 22-year-old exercise and wellness senior, and former high school athlete. “My pressure was relieved when I knew my education was going to mold and create a better future for me.”
Although participating in high school sports is a great extracurricular activity, education is viewed by many to be an important aspect in having a successful future.
However, how does a college athlete prioritize between the two, when sports is their reason for attending school, she said.
“There is always sacrifices a person needs to make if they want to be in school and be an athlete especially at a college level,” Wright said. “Between a social life, long practices, games, traveling, homework, and classwork there has to be a part of a college athlete that doesn’t give their all to each part of their life.”
The actual dollar amount athletes could receive on an open market varies. It could range from a few hundred dollars to thousands of dollars depending on the use of their name and image for various advertisements, according to the AP article.
Contact the reporter at jspinkne@asu.edu.
