Student-athlete concept may receive a makeover
New York lawmakers eye California law allowing compensation
Should college athletes be allowed to make money from sponsorship deals?
The issue will likely be hotly debated in New York during the next legislative session. After California passed a law last week enabling college athletes to cash in on their stardom without fear of penalty, multiple New York lawmakers are wading into the debate with their own bills shaking up the business model of intercollegiate sports.
One law, introduced by state Sen. Kevin Parker two weeks ago, mirrors the California legislation, preventing New York schools from withdrawing scholarships or eligibility of any athlete making money from
endorsements, as well as enabling the students to collect a portion of ticket sale revenue.
The bill also allows players to hire an agent and provides compensation if they become severely injured.
“This legislation is not saying that college student athletes should be millionaires, but allows them to profit alongside their colleges and universities off their names and images ... offers them a percentage of the profits made from fans and family paying to cheer them on,” Parker, a Brooklyn Democrat, writes in the bill’s memorandum.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signing of the Fair Pay to Play Act on Sept. 30 deals a blow to the National Collegiate Athletic Association, which has long maintained that student-athletes should earn a degree— rather than income — for playing college sports.
College athletics has exploded into a multi-billion dollar industr y in the past decade, placing increased pressure and demands on student athletes. But the NCA A has been reluctant to reform its rules amid g rowing criticism over student athletes going unpaid while athletic departments profit and high-profile coaches’ sa laries soar.
The new California law is seen as a game changer and puts pressure on the NCA A to change its policies before the legislation goes into effect in 2023 or other states follow its lead.
The NCA A has slammed the California bill in recent weeks, warning states that a patchwork of laws could create an unequal playing field and possibly disqualify teams that allow students to profit from their image or brand from participating in intercollegiate sports.
“The NCA A agrees changes are needed to continue to support studentathletes, but improvement needs to happen on a national level through the NCA A’s rules-making process,” the NCA A said.
A college-athlete compensation bill introduced last week by New York state Sen. Joseph Griffo, R-rome, seeks to address this threat with language prohibiting the NCA A from barring any school that enabled its athletes to accept sponsorship deals from participating in intercollegiate sports.
Other versions have recently been proposed by Sen. Jamaal Bailey, a Bronx Democrat, and Assemblyman Sean Ryan, D-buffalo.
Athletic directors and school administrators in the Capital Region say they are closely watching the New York bills, but have reservations about how the new compensation system would be regulated or affect smaller schools’ places in the system.
“Changing the college amateur model moving forward needs to be done in a deliberate and coherent way, and the NCA A membership is working on that,” Siena College spokeswoman Lisa Witkowski said. “Instituting changes at the national level is a better overall approach than having various states implementing their own regulations.”
The State University of New York, which has more than 85 NCA A Division I teams, said it is reviewing the bill and has not taken a position on it.
On Friday, at University at Albany’s first basketball practice of the season, players argued that the old system needed reform.
“I think athletes should be able to get paid based on their image and their brand. I don’t think it should be just exclusive to
the NCA A,” Ualbany point guard Cameron Healy said. “I’m obviously a fan of what they are looking into as long as it doesn’t have negative consequences down the road.”
Ualbany point guard Ahmad Clark said the issue has come up recently among his teammates.
“We bring money into the school, whether it’s a basketball game or fundraiser. ... Some compensation would be nice for the work athletes put into the school,” Clark said.
Ualbany coach Will Brown said he hopes that the NCA A and legislators can come together and find a compromise.
“I’m old school; I think there still is tremendous value in a scholarship and a free education. I don’t have the answers, but I think there is a happy medium. ... I think college athletics is special and I’d hate to see it fractured,” he said.
In New York and across the nation, the measure has broad support among both Republicans and Democrats. State lawmakers in Illinois, Florida and Pennsylvania are considering similar legislation.
The issue of studentathlete compensation may soon get taken up in Congress. U.S. Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, R-ohio, a former wide receiver for the Ohio State Buckeyes, told ESPN last week that he is considering a federal version of the bill.
“I actually think that we need to do something quickly, within the next year,” Gonzalez said. “I don’t think you have three years to figure this out. I think decisions will start happening immediately.”