NCAA Board of Governors announces support for player profit

The world is changing and so is the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

The NCAA Board of Governors announced its support for rule changes that would allow student-athletes to receive compensation from endorsements and sponsorships, according to a statement on April 29. The plan to allow student-athletes to earn money off their names, images and likenesses is currently in the works. The new rules are expected to be completed by January and take effect beginning the 2021-22 academic year.

Previously, student-athletes could not receive compensation for anything they did related to collegiate athletics. 

With that being said, the NCAA did note there would be restrictions as to what is and is not permissible for student-athlete compensation.

In order to protect college athletic brands, the Board is recommending that there would be no conference or school involvement. Student-athletes cannot use their conference or school’s logos or trademarks. Additionally, universities can’t pay student-athletes to use their names, images or likenesses.

“Throughout our efforts to enhance support for college athletes, the NCAA has relied upon considerable feedback from and the engagement of our members, including numerous student-athletes, from all three divisions,” said NCAA Board of Governors Chair Michael Drake. “Allowing promotions and third-party endorsements is uncharted territory.”

With this new plan, a whole slew of issues can arise which the NCAA will attempt to eliminate. The topics of pay for play, recruiting by schools or boosters and the regulation of agents and advisors will be outlined in the new rule book.

A handful of sports documentaries uncovered the business behind the NCAA and its relationship with student-athletes. Schooled: The Price of College Sports (2013), The Business of Amateurs (2016) and Student Athlete (2018) unraveled how the NCAA limits student-athletes from creating a supportive income for themselves and showed the struggles student-athletes face after graduating.

The NCAA’s idea to allow student-athletes to receive compensation didn’t come to fruition until Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) signed a bill in September that would allow student-athletes to hire agents and sign endorsement deals.

Once more state governments started to get involved, the NCAA took action. The next month, the Board unanimously voted to support the idea of student-athletes receiving compensation for their names, images and likenesses.

As the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues to sweep the nation, putting collegiate sports on hold until further notice, the NCAA has some extra time on its hands to create a comprehensive plan that would benefit student-athletes.

The NCAA is supposed to be dedicated to the well-being and lifelong success of collegiate student-athletes. Now is the chance to prove that.