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The National Collegiate Athletic Association, which has since its inception denied college athletes the right to earn money despite the huge profits that they generate for their institutions, changed course on Tuesday with a resolution that will allow athletes to profit from their name, image, and likeness.
“We must embrace change to provide the best possible experience for college athletes,” NCAA Board of Governors chairman and Ohio State University president Michael V. Drake said in a statement. “Additional flexibility in this area can and must continue to support college sports as a part of higher education. This modernization for the future is a natural extension of the numerous steps NCAA members have taken in recent years to improve support for student-athletes, including full cost of attendance and guaranteed scholarships.”
The surprising shift away from decades of NCAA precedent comes a month after California Governor Gavin Newsom signed his state's Fair Pay to Play act into law. The act forbade public colleges from taking scholarships away from athletes who hire agents, sign endorsement deals, or seek to profit in any way from their own name, image, or likeness.
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