To Pay or Not to Pay: Part III

Alright, you’ve heard my side of the argument and my thoughts on the other side of the argument. 

Now, it’s time to talk about what’s being done to remedy the Pay or Not to Pay debate.

In recent months, a bill has been introduced in the California legislature called the Fair Pay to Play Act., It seeks to enable college players to be free to sign endorsement deals; hire agents; charge for appearances and autographs. It basically allows these college players to be just like NFL players without the NFL pay check. This would not change the student/university relationship at all. The students would still receive scholarships and still receive no compensation from the schools for game play. They would also still be prohibited to seek employment.

In a nutshell, the act would empower college athletes individually, or collectively, profit from the use of their name, image and likeness in commercial products. These athletes would be able to sign contracts with any number of third parties including video game publishers, clothing stores, apparel manufacturers, retailers of memorabilia and collectibles, equipment and sporting goods companies and car dealerships.

This sounds like a solution to the problem that has been plaguing college sports for years. Yet, I am not in support of this. I actually find this bill to be fraught with problems and I hope it does not pass.

One of the largest issues is – in my opinion - perfectly illustrated in a letter that was sent to the California state senate by the NCAA, warning them that if the Fair Pay to Play Act becomes law, it would be quite impossible for California schools to compete in national championships, due to the huge advantage that California schools may have over all other schools that may compete in the form of the recruiting of players to the various California universities for obvious benefits.

Would the five star freshmen quarterback out of Texas rather take his talents to the University of Texas, or other programs will he will almost certainly be successful but receive zero compensation or would he go to California and attend a school there to be just as successful with the ability to sign lucrative deals in merchandise and advertising? For the average 18-20 year old, that is a no brainer. 

Talk about an unfair advantage.

If this bill passes, the NCAA would be backed into a corner. They would either have to change their own rules regarding the compensation of players for all its member universities or consider other measures that could separate or even eliminate all California schools from its other members. This would force California schools to be independent of the NCAA or possibly even start a league of their own. As the NCAA is not known for its willingness to embrace change, odds are leaning towards the latter. Student athletes would have California lawmakers to blame for being unable to compete in national championships, which ironically, could have a very negative effect on recruiting.

What if California schools broke away from the NCAA? What if they began their own college sports league complete with TV and merchandising contracts? What if other states decided that wasn’t such a bad idea? If California schools break away and are successful with their venture, other states may consider seceding as well. At its heart, the main purpose of the NCAA is to organize athletic contests in all sports across the country, while maintaining a balance between athletics and academics. But if those functions could be provided by the state and allows compensation for their names, images and likenesses, the NCAA would have a very hard time giving those schools a reason to need them.

One of the qualities of college sports that make them so enduring to their fan bases, is the pure amateur nature of the games. The knowledge that these athletes are not competing for any sponsors, but rather for a pure love of the game. The landscape of college sports would change drastically, losing much if not all of its innocence, if athletes right out of high school are signing with agents. Not only that, but can an 18-20 year old really be trusted to make such decisions regarding representation and endorsements? I know I wouldn’t have been at that age.

Something else that comes to mind, is the word “fair” in the name of the act. Of course, the star quarterback of the UCLA Bruins would receive multiple endorsements, requests for use of his name and likeness and his autograph that he can charge for. But there is also the second, third or fourth string quarterback or the back-up kicker on special teams. Those players work just as hard as the star QB, but you can bet there would be no requests to have their likeness in a football video game or a car commercial, is that fair?

This concludes my 3 part series on the payment of college football players and I hope you have enjoyed it.

Sound off with your opinions in the comments below.