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Here’s a breakdown of why the N.C.A.A. finally relented to pressure to allow athletes to make money beyond the cost of attending their universities.
The N.C.A.A. agreed on Wednesday to allow college athletes across the country to capitalize off their fame for the first time. The decision will allow students from coast to coast to strike endorsement deals, profit off their social media accounts, sell autographs and otherwise make money from their names, images and likenesses, potentially directing millions of dollars to college athletes every year.
The decision on Wednesday afternoon by the Division I Board of Directors, which oversees the most prominent tier of college athletics in the United States, amounted to a surrender to years of swelling legal and political pressure. The board acted less than 12 hours before state laws designed to challenge the N.C.A.A.’s generations-old rules were scheduled to begin taking effect from Alabama to Oregon. Leaders in Divisions II and III, which include less visible and wealthy athletic programs but hundreds of thousands of players, made similar moves.
The N.C.A.A.’s last-minute policy change, which players and executives alike view as one of the most significant changes in the association’s 115-year history, will allow athletes to make endorsement deals whether or not they attend college in a state with one of the laws that forced the industry to act.
The N.C.A.A. has long barred players from being paid “to advertise, recommend or promote directly the sale or use of a commercial product or service of any kind.” The association has also said that players, with a handful of exceptions, could not participate in a sport if they had agreed to have an agent represent them.
The rules did not change so much as the N.C.A.A. decided to waive them.
Under the plan that association leaders approved on Wednesday afternoon, Bylaw 12 — a thick portion of the rule book that governs amateurism and athletics eligibility — will not be enforced if a student receives payment in exchange for use of the athlete’s name, image or likeness (also known as N.I.L.). The N.C.A.A. also agreed to allow athletes to have representation in connection with their N.I.L. activities.
Schools in many states are expected to set policies around matters like whether students may wear a university’s logo in an advertisement.
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Why the NCAA Is Allowing Athletes to Make Money – The New York Times
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