NCCA athletes could be getting paid under new California Law. For years, it has been a big rule that student-athletes in college should not be paid. On October 1st, everything changed. Governor Gavin Newson has signed a new bill to allow college athletes to hire agents and make money off endorsements, and this new law is meant to take effect in 2023. Under the California law, thousands of athletes will be allowed to promote products and companies for the first time ever. 

Although this law only applies to only California right now, it sets up a possibility that leaders in college sports can choose either between changing the rules for athletes across the U.S. or barring some of America’s sports powerhouses. In a recent interview with New York Times, Governor Newson said, “every single student in the university can market their name, image and likeness; they can go and get a YouTube channel, and they can monetize that. The only group that can’t are athletes. Why is that?” The NCCA has been thinking about rewriting it’s rules on endorsements. They called it “unconstitutional” and said on Monday that it would “consider next steps in California.” 

The Pac-12 athletic conference said the law would “lead to the professionalization of college sports and many unintended consequences.” NCCA and the Pac-12 lobbied against the measure, as did several universities such as Stanford and Southern California. If this takes effect, it will be California’s biggest college sports programs, as well as the smaller ones. The schools and NCCA can not keep students from playing in sports if they have been paid for the use of their names, image, or likeness. Students will also be allowed to hire agents.

 Nancy Skinner, a senator, introduced this legislation in February. NCCA announced in May that it had a committee to consider those changes. The bill passed unanimously. California could rework the plan once NCCA plans are made public. 

Governor Newson signed this bill during an episode of a television show “The Shop” hosted by Los Angeles Laker star LeBron James. He is a prominent supporter of this legislation. He said on an Instagram post, “NCAA, you got the next move. We can solve this for everyone.” Hayley Hodson, a former Stanford volleyball player said, “ Only a fraction of college athletes eventually turn professional, and for the rest, college is the only time they have to profit off their hard-earned athletic success.” 

The NCAA business has adjusted some rules in recent years to allow students to have limited stipends and unlimited food from the universities they are attending. The litigation could likely be protracted and state officials set 2023 effective date. 

The NCAA complained that the law was already “creating confusion for current and future student-athletes, coaches, administrators and campuses, and not just in California.” Governor Gavin, a former baseball player at Santa Clara University, dared the NCAA to expel the schools. Supporters of this legislation argued that the NCAA could not afford to let California Universities and their popularity in media markets get away with this idea.