The Government Should Allow Student Athletes To Get Paid

  Lieutenant Governor of California Gavin Newsom signed into law a measure that allows players to receive endorsement deals, despite the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. calling the move unconstitutional. I believe that other states should follow in his path. Student athletes are constantly getting exploited by the school to profit. The argument is always that student athletes are compensated with school tuition being paid for. Yet the amount of effort and profit the schools are making from games and coverage is enormous amount. I am not proposing the schools pay the athlete but instead allow major companies to endorse them. Companies such as Nike, Adidias, and the list goes on; are always looking for the next player going to the pro athlete level. Allowing these companies to attach the name will not only benefit the school but also the player. Students need to be able to receive a little bit of income from the amount of time they put in to perfecting their craft. 

Colleges are constantly plastering the players faces all over the campus and national television. So what is the difference from major companies doing the same? Is it possibly because the NCAA would not be making a share of the profit from these players. 

The group’s governing board voted unanimously to allow student-athletes “the opportunity to benefit from the use of their name, image and likeness.” and I believe other governors should follow suit. After all the colleges are using the player face and skills all over TV, the least they could do is allow them to build some type of profit.