In a big shift for college sports, NCAA executives have recommended new limits for student players seeking endorsements and other ways to benefit from their celebrity.
The NCAA board is scheduled to vote on the measure later this week, according to The New York Times.
Through endorsements, signatures, events, and other partnerships, the new rules would allow collegiate players to profit off their name, image, and likeness.
According to CBS News, the NCAA emphasized that laws prohibiting “pay-for-play,” or students being paid to participate on collegiate teams, remain in force.
Several states have statutes or executive orders that will take effect on July 1 or later this year, allowing athletes in their states’ colleges to profit off their celebrity.
Last week, the Supreme Court decided against the NCAA in a case, finding that it couldn’t prevent institutions from providing education-related advantages to student athletes, such as graduate scholarships and computers.
The NCAA’s decision to prohibit players from earning money from their popular and lucrative sports has been criticized as a case of racial injustice. According to 2020 NCAA demographics, Division I athletes are disproportionately Black compared to the country’s total racial mix, but compensated coaches are largely white.
