The term of the day for the NCAA: “modernize.”
Or maybe it was “change.” Then again, “unprecedented steps” also got plenty of time.
All were true.
After decades of digging in, battling in court, launching advertising campaigns or just shaking their collective head “no,” the NCAA’s Board of Governors has agreed to provide its athletes the same economic freedom as any other student on campus, starting in January 2021 at the latest. It still must clear a vote at the NCAA Convention, but board approval makes it all but inevitable.
“We approved legislation for student athletes to receive compensation for third-party endorsements,” said Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith.
Namely, if you can make a buck, then go make a buck (with monitoring, of course, because “guardrails” was a popular buzzword too).
There are still details to be ironed out. There are, no doubt, unexpected issues that could flare up. A priority will be given to trying to create fairness in recruiting.
Give the NCAA credit, however, it is extremely tardy to this party (the Olympics gave up enforcing “amateurism” back in the 1980s) but it made it.
Better late than stuck in another working sub-committee.
“Times have changed,” Big East commissioner Val Ackerman said. “And we believe wholeheartedly college sports needed to change as well.”
The basics are simple.
If a company wants to hire a college athlete to promote its business, it can. This can range from small to big.
A campus town Ford dealer might give an appearance fee for the star quarterback to sign autographs in the showroom and drag in some potential car buyers. If the player is popular enough — think Tua Tagovailoa — then maybe the Alabama Ford Dealers use him in commercials and billboards. If he’s really big enough, Ford Motor Co. could do something nationally.
You never know.
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