This is fixing to get interesting....

It's about time.

Everyone yapping about how this will "turn them into pros!" is delusional. They're already getting money and benefits, along with the scholarships. Some more than others.

All this does is allow someone like swimmer Katie Ledecky to actually wear a Speedo and get $5,000 a year. Or Tua Tangonova to be on EA Sports College Football 2019 and get $10,000 for them using his name, image and likeness. Or Johnny Schmedlap 17-time track champion to do an appearance at Bob's Running Emporium and get some appearance money without the NCAA losing its schitt about it.

It's not going to be open season. NCAA says it will establish guidelines. Those will be ignored, of course, just like their current rules about taking benefits and money. But the NCAA's not entirely stupid enough to believe California passing that bill and the athletes pushing more for this - and being able to win in court - would keep them from implementing some changes.

Jimmy Software is a sophomore computer genius on scholarship to Big University. He is offered $40,000 in his summer break by Apple to develop software. Should he not be able to receive that money just because he's a "computer geek" and not a football star?

Of course not.

nice illustration, clem ...

Very nice!!!

NCAA could be 100% irrelevant soon. This is a stop gap measure against that.

This won’t go well. There’s only going to be a couple dozen schools that will be able to afford to compensate players for their name and likeness. There are lots of schools that barely break even on football. You think that they’ll be able to compensate their players like Alabama can? Nah. Where are all these kids gonna go? Schools that can afford to compensate. The rich will get richer.

I could give a chit about the turning them into pros side. The Title IX would need to be resolved. Folks just aren't gonna pay swimmers or track athletes the same as football players. Then things will become 'unfair' and the problems will arise. Perhaps something like the total of revenue earned through player's likeness goes into a single pot. The funds are then dispersed evenly among all student athletes. Guess its a start but still crappy.

Heck that might even have to happen at the conference level to avoid inequities between schools. Perhaps Donor A would like to pay the Freshmen 5 star recruit a cold million to advertise for his Charger sales. Would that be allowed? Would it be split across all sports at said school? Perhaps the conference gets to split and keep things on an even keel?

The schools will not be paying players because of this latest NCAA decision. What the players and others are saying is if EA Sports puts out "College Football 2020" video game, having "Tua" at quarterback for the Alabama team in the game then Tua should be compensated in some way by EA Sports for them using his name, image or likeness.

Y'all remember the old Techmo Bowl with Bo Jackson zigzagging too and fro? He didn't get chit for that from Coleco, the company that made the game, but they sold a lot of those little games thanks in part to him being in it.

This NCAA decision and the California legislative ruling will change that, and in some way the athletes will be able to get something.

The schools aren't paying. Any argument that "the rich will get richer" based on Alabama or USC or Texas "paying players" for their name, image and likeness is moot.



There is no Title IX involvement. The swimmers already have a scholarship. Is it the same as a quarterback? In relative terms, perhaps. They both get tuition, maybe books and boarding. The only Title IX possibility could exist now if Susie Swimmer or Valerie Volleyballer says they're being treated inequitably with scholarship, food, training, etc.

If "JDR4Bama Chevrolet" wanted to pay Jimmy Quarterback a $5,000 fee for appearing at his dealership five times a year but only wanted to pay Christine Championship Equestrian Rider $3,500 for the same, her only recourse would be to say "No, pay me more" or somehow prove she was discriminated against in some way. Title IX doesn't apply to a private outside entity like JDR4Bama Chevrolet - it would be a civil matter, if she pursued it.

(That's my Law & Order two cents since I ain't a lawyer.)





Still a lot to be sorted out.

I doubt the conferences or even universities would get into socialism to "spread the wealth" if Tua was paid $10,000 and a golfer just $3,500.



The Ghost of Corky Frost returns to give five players some steaks and $500 for appearing at Joe's Car Wash. He picks five "name" football and hoops players and not someone on the equestrian team because, of course, those sports are more appealing to fans who might visit the car wash.

Tom Albetar wants football and basketball players in his suit store to sign autographs and he gives them some suits or a $1,000 appearance fee for 4-5 hours? He didn't select the brainchild in the chemistry lab, because no one except his mother and Dow Chemical gives a flip about him.

Would the same happen at Jacksonville State? Perhaps. Alcorn State? Maybe, but doubtful. Are players at those smaller universities going to be upset? Maybe, but that's how the chips fall.

This NCAA decision will somehow - after everything shakes out - open the door for those things to happen without all the NCAA bullcrap about Gary Golfer drove the car dealer's truck for two weeks and is on probation.

One of the biggest points of contention is schools selling jerseys with names on them. That is one of the things that they could be paid for. If Alabama can afford to pay them $20k/year in jerseys and Memphis can only pay $1000, you don’t think that’s going to cause some issues?

Again, the school isn’t the one paying them. The jersey manufacturer would be the one paying them. i.e. Nike.

It will be a boon gold mine for any University. A player gets a contract to advertise for (XYZ company) and the University will collect its 10-40% overhead like they do on any other contract. Universities will now be pushed to get better players to get more coin and competition will now be enhanced. This is a good thing.

Schools don't produce the jerseys or other apparel. They license the use of the name-logo-colors to a company that produces them - Nike, Under Armor, Adidas, some other company like New Era (caps) - and get the licensing fee, which is big. The logo, colors, mascot and player number are property of and controlled by the university's licensing division.

Apparel company benefits, university benefits. As of right now, the player doesn't benefit in any way other than his scholarship.

With this NCAA decision, the player could say (or argue in court, perhaps), "You cannot use my name on jerseys sold by Nike without some kind of renumeration."

Tua jerseys might generate, for example, $100,000 a year and he might ask for 1 percent from Nike if they want to sell a jersey with his name on it. Possibly from the university's licensing division, too.

What if the university says, "No more names on jerseys we license to anyone. Colors, numbers and logos are fine. But no more names." And then the player might not get a cut.

Who knows? This thing is wide open.


As for Alabama's players making more than Memphis' players, tough chit. That's how the cookie crumbles. It ain't going to be equal unless some kind of liberal socialistic Bernie-AOC bullchit shows up so everyone gets a ribbon. Even the players now know a starting QB or WR or LB is treated differently than a 3rd-teamer.

It'll create more jobs, too. Universities now will probably have to have specialists within their compliance departments to keep up with any outside "appearance fees" or somesuch.

I guess recruits will have to get agents in high school then. So they can start lining up the deals when deciding which school to sign with. I’d like to see any money the athlete makes go into an escrow account that they have to pay back their scholarship money. Anything left over they get upon graduation. As you can tell I’m not a fan of paying NCAA athletes.

I like it.

Why should they have to pay back their scholarships? The school makes more on them than they get in scholarship money.

Why would a high school kid need an agent?

Tua's smart enough to be QB1 at Alabama. He wouldn't be smart enough to say to the compliance office, "Hey, JBuc Outdoors asked me to come to their store for a "meet and greet" and said they'll pay me $500 for it." and find out if it's OK?

That's all this is. It may be a bit of Pandora's box but it's not the end of the world and players aren't suddenly going to become Warren Buffet thanks to JBuc Outdoors or The Ghost of Corky Frost.

Now we're gonna have 2 NFL leagues. Companies will be swaying players to go to certain schools because they're already obligated due to prior sponsorship money. This will grow outta control.

Im not a fan.