The NCAA knows a thing or two about making a buck.
The governing body of college athletics, which operates as a non-profit organization, reported revenues of $1.1 billion for the 2017 fiscal year. NCAA President Mark Emmert walked away with $2.9 million that year. But not a dime went to the athletes primarily responsible for raking in the dough. Even though 86% of college athletes live below the poverty line.
State Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, finds that appalling. Good for her.
Her legislation, SB 206, would require California’s public and private colleges and universities to permit athletes to market themselves and receive payment for endorsement deals. The bill is such a no-brainer that the Assembly and Senate both passed it unanimously. Gov. Gavin Newsom should sign it into law and tell the NCAA to stop exploiting young athletes, the vast majority of whom will never play professional sports.
When it comes to bullying, the NCAA has few peers. So it came as no surprise that Emmert and the organization’s governing body sent Newsom a letter last week threatening the state.
“If the bill becomes law and California’s 58 NCAA schools are compelled to allow an unrestricted name, image and likeness scheme,” the letter said, “it would erase the critical distinction between college and professional athletics and, because it gives those schools an unfair recruiting advantage, would result in them eventually being unable to compete in NCAA competitions.”
The NCAA’s assertion that it cares about competitive balance is laughable. Try telling that to the schools that get thrashed on the gridiron every year by the likes of Alabama, Clemson, Oklahoma, Ohio State and Notre Dame. No, the bottom line in this debate is money.
The NCAA loves to market its student-athletes as amateurs who play for the love of game. But one of the reasons colleges don’t want their athletes to be considered employees is they don’t want to be responsible for providing health care for injured players. Colleges aren’t required to provide health care for athletes when they are hurt, and when a player has a serious injury, it is the parent’s insurance that is primarily responsible for paying the costs for treatment.
The NCAA also doesn’t want players taking a piece of its very lucrative pie.
The University of Oregon, for example, signed a deal last December with Fanatics Inc., the world’s largest seller of licensed sports gear, for $23 million. If one of its star players signed an endorsement deal to market his or her likeness on T-shirts, sweatshirts, jackets and hats, it could reduce the university’s sales.
Skinner’s legislation is a matter of simple fairness. The NCAA and its member schools make millions off the athletes who perform on the playing fields. These athletes shouldn’t be blocked from making money off their name, image or likeness by what is an absurd rule.
— The Mercury News
