As a retired collegiate athlete, making money during school and sport seasons would be absolutely amazing. With such a busy schedule between studying, classes, practices and games there really is no time to have a job schedule added. I mean, yes you could get a job but could that mess with your overall mental health.
Having a job on top of all of the college demands would really be a risky thing to do as feeling overwhelmed could impact your academics as well as your sports performance.
All of this being said, being able to get paid for being a college athlete would be a game changer.
LeBron James was a huge support for the Fair Pay To Play act that was passed in California. As he was “an underprivileged kid” blessed with amazing athletic ability he was fortunate enough to skip college and go straight to the NBA. If he was not able to do that, the university he may have gone to would have been able to capitalize on everything he brought to the court.
His deep understanding of what all college athletes are going through brings him to the full support level with this bill being passed on a personal level.
The Golden State Warriors Draymond Green supports the bill as well. Green stated,
“I’m tired of seeing these college kids being ripped off. While the president of the NCAA just kind of sits back and says a little bit but doesn't say too much at all. Now you have to. you gotta speak up.”
As he says all this he also states that he is looking forward to hearing what the president of the NCAA’s response will be when the bill is passed.
NCAA rules don’t normally allow athletes to accept monetary benefits. However, according to CNBC, the Supreme Court ruled against the NCAA opinions allowing non-cash compensation for athletes. As Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh says,
“Traditions alone cannot justify the NCAA’s decision to build a massive money-raising enterprise on the backs of student athletes who are not fairly compensated.”
The March Madness basketball tournament alone brings in $1 billion annually. That alone speaks loudly, as what company in the entire world doesn’t pay their employees for bringing in money?
I totally agree with this as I know it may be quite a controversial topic. With each school bringing in different amounts of money in comparison to what each athlete should get paid, I can see this as a growing experience.
Overall, I am excited to see athletes that devote so much of their time finally get paid for the money they bring in for the school. This is an action that only seems fair.
As this law is expected to pass January 1, 2023, I do expect changes coming both in 2021 and 2022 leading up to the bill officially being passed.
