NCAA to allow athletes to profit off likeness
The NCAA recently voted to allow athletes to profit off their name, likeness, and image.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association’s three priorities are: academics, well-being, and fairness in collegiate sports and the governing board just made a big decision that will impact all three of those priorities.
On Tuesday, October 29, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) unanimously voted to allow college athletes to profit off of their name and likeness. This came only one month after California passed the same bill for their state’s college athletes. It will most likely go into affect early 2021, after the official vote in 2020.
In doing so, the NCAA is opening up college athletes to be able to sign endorsement deals, profit off their jerseys, and a fan-favorite, the comeback of the NCAA football video game. The nation’s top players like Jalen Hurts, Tua Tagovailoa, and Justin Fields will most likely become millionaires by the age of 20.
Zion Williamson was a superstar since high school and could’ve potentially signed a massive endorsement deal while at Duke.
Large companies such as Nike and Adidas will be forced to start targeting athletes as soon as they graduate from high school, or whenever they turn 18 years old. High school athletics are going to be followed much closer as standout athletes like Zion Williamson could be the head of companies’ marketing campaigns.
The entire landscape of college sports is going to change. Dominant schools, such as the University of Alabama, attract recruits because it is the best path to make it to the NFL. Now, smaller schools have a chance to pull larger prospects with potential for them to become “the face” of that school and therefore get more endorsements, both local and on a grander scale. Mid-tier schools will get better recruits, making college football a much more level playing field, like the NBA this season.
Loading ...Most college football fans and video game players across the country have been calling for EA Sports to bring back the NCAA Football video game. The last game made was NCAA Football 14, so fans have been waiting a long time for the game to resurface. It will be interesting to see how much money players make from appearing in the game.
Jersey sales are probably going to bring in the most money for college athletes. In the past, companies could make a player’s jersey with their name and number, but the player received no money for it. Now, the jerseys are going to be produced by Nike, Adidas, and other large apparel companies, allowing for a higher price tag, which in turn creates a higher pay for the athlete.
It is going to be extremely interesting to see how the landscape of college sports and recruiting changes over the next few years. The playing field is going to level out, making the NCAA much more competitive in all sports.
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Tyler Mesnekoff is a senior at Wiregrass Ranch and this is his first year writing for The Stampede. He is a linebacker for the Varsity football team and...
Fran Koppell • Nov 12, 2019 at 11:16 am
Great article! Be interesting to watch how it plays out. I get a worried about young athletes coming into too much money too quickly. It can disappear as easily as it appears. Egos get inflated. Sometimes its overwhelming. Thanks for the update!