The NCAA has met its match.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday signed the Fair Pay to Play Act, which states colleges in California cannot penalize their athletes for collecting money from endorsement deals beginning in 2023.
Newsom made it official during an episode of “The Shop” on HBO with NBA star LeBron James, WNBA star Diana Taurasi and former UCLA basketball star Ed O’Bannon.
“It’s going to initiate dozens of other states to introduce similar legislation," Newsom said in the video. "And it’s going to change college sports for the better by having now the interest finally of the athletes on par with the interests of the institution. Now we are rebalancing that power."
Colleges reap billions from student athletes but block them from earning a single dollar. That’s a bankrupt model.
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) September 30, 2019
I just signed the Fair Play to Pay Act with @KingJames -- making CA the first state to allow student athletes to profit off their name, image, and likeness. pic.twitter.com/aWE9OL9r1v
"That’s governor’s signature right there," James said in the clip before later tweeting he is "so incredibly proud to share this moment" with Newsom.
"This is a game-changer for student-athletes and for equity in sports," James said. "Athletes at every level deserve to be empowered and to be fairly compensated for their work, especially in a system where so many are profiting off of their talents. Part of the reason I went to the NBA was to get my mom out of the situation she was in. I couldn’t have done that in college with the current rules in place."
It wasn't long before the NCAA issued a statement on the matter, saying it will take the new law into consideration as its "members move forward with ongoing efforts to make adjustments."
As a membership organization, the NCAA agrees changes are needed to continue to support student-athletes, but improvement needs to happen on a national level through the NCAA’s rules-making process. Unfortunately, this new law already is creating confusion for current and future student-athletes, coaches, administrators and campuses, and not just in California.
We will consider next steps in California while our members move forward with ongoing efforts to make adjustments to NCAA name, image and likeness rules that are both realistic in modern society and tied to higher education.
As more states consider their own specific legislation related to this topic, it is clear that a patchwork of different laws from different states will make unattainable the goal of providing a fair and level playing field for 1,100 campuses and nearly half a million student-athletes nationwide.
The Fair Pay to Play Act was first introduced in February by Sen. Nancy Skinner and has since gained momentum with the support of numerous outspoken athletes. Politicians around the country, including Colorado, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina and Washington, have also publicly supported the idea of similar laws in their respective states.