In recent weeks we have seen a change in the college athletics landscape. It started when a group of Pac-12 Conference athletes started a “We Are United” campaign. The group threatened to boycott the upcoming season if their list of demands weren’t met. Another avenue for the athletes being able to earn income was through the Name, Image and Likeness Bill. In a recent ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court, they denied a stay of injunction on athlete’s benefits.
The NIL Bill itself is set to be enforced starting January 1, 2021. The injunction was placed due to the fact that the NCAA wanted to limit how much an athlete could earn with the NIL bill. However, Justice Claudia Wilken called it “unreasonably restrain trade.” The maximum dollar amount that the NCAA has mentioned was $5.600 per year.
In response U.S. Senators Cory Booker and Richard Blumenthal have introduced a ‘bill of rights’ for student athletes according to USA TODAY Sports. With the recent actions within the NCAA many feel that the system is outdated and broken. Many conferences act on their own, much like which the recent cancellations.
“We have to create a system that clearly the NCAA has not been willing to do on its own,” Booker, a former Stanford football player, said in an interview with USA TODAY Sports. “We’re talking to a lot of athletes who have painful stories. These are courageous young people who right now are speaking out — and often facing retribution for speaking out — about their basic rights. I just really respect these athletes for showing such courage and commitment to the larger issues of equity and justice within college athletics.”
The bill looks to provided the following:
- Lifetime scholarships that allow an athlete obtain their degree
- Ban Letters of Intent (allowing athletes to change their mind prior to enrolling in school)
- Allow group licensing
- Revenue sharing
- School transparency