California’s governor is no suffragette, civil rights worker or 1930s union organizer.
But by signing Senate Bill 206 into law this week he and a unanimous California State Legislature have ultimately changed things, specifically the face of college sports.
SB 206 allows California’s state colleges student-athletes to be compensated, rather than punished, for using their names, images and likenesses beginning in 2023.
Our first impression of the Fair Pay to Play Act is like almost all legislation — it’s imperfect and we concur with some of WVU Athletic Director Shane Lyons’ comments about this bill. But, à la Voltaire, we maintain the perfect is the enemy of the good. That is, waiting for the perfect only hinders progress.
We don’t agree with Lyons that Californiae should wait on the NCAA to determine how best to administer such a law nationally, rather than state-by-state.
To Lyons credit he admits the NCAA needs to discuss this issue. He brought up a lot of good points on this one-state edict and the problems it may cause.
But history has shown again and again until someone makes a case in the courts, in the street, at the polls or now on the field, nothing changes.
The NCAA is highly unlikely to ever share its profits with college athletes until it is forced to do so.
California’s law, imperfect as it is, will force the NCAA to take a good long look at this issue and include student-athletes in the discussion.
True, these student-athletes benefit from the scholarships, meals, housing, academic services and so on. Lyons estimates those benefits amount to $75,000-$100,000 yearly.
We would counter that the physical demands on them to ply their skills, which often result in serious injuries, more than covers that and then some.
Not to mention the hours spent in drills, meetings, in trainer and locker rooms and travel, short-change their college experience, though some will argue it enhances that experience.
It’s also true that the work — not play — these athletes do in games has enriched the NCAA and then some. In its most recent report to the IRS (in 2016) the NCAA’s revenue exceeded $1 billion.
Its net assets topped $400 million while its payroll was more than $70 million, of which $2.4 million paid its president’s salary.
And to think that haul was raked in on the play (work) of thousands of young men and women is disturbing.
The NCAA admits its member schools are looking at changing rules to allow student-athletes to use their names “in accordance with our values.”
That’s all good and well, but California’s decision should speed things up, especially if other states follow suit.
And who knows, perhaps we’ll get to those values before it comes to marches, boycotts and strikes.
