Earlier on Monday, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the Fair Pay to Play Act, which will guarantee student-athletes in the state of California will have the right to market their name, image, and likeness, thus dropping the gauntlet against the NCAA. Hours later, the state of Florida is following California’s lead.
House Bill 251 was officially filed by Kionne McGhee (D) in the Florida House of Representatives. Similar to its predecessor in California and other bills starting to go through various state governmental procedures, the Florida bill aims to prevent the NCAA and colleges from blocking student-athletes from receiving compensation for the use of their likeness or name.
Today, House Democratic Leader @kionnemcghee filed HB 251, allowing #athletes in #Florida colleges to sign endorsement deals & earn compensation for their name, image, and likeness: https://t.co/xPKiev4ZwS
— Florida House Democrats (@FLHouseDems) September 30, 2019
Florida joins list of states where a legislator has proposed bill relating to college athletes' name, image and likeness, and spokesman for Fla. Rep. Chip LaMarca says another bill is coming pic.twitter.com/cp90v7Obqb
— Steve Berkowitz (@ByBerkowitz) September 30, 2019
Similar bills have recently been filed in South Carolina and New York, and more could very well be on the way now that the first domino has fallen in California. The bill filed in New York would also potentially allow a student-athlete to hire an agent and receive an even distribution directly from the school’s athletics revenue with every other student-athlete on campus. The South Carolina bill is more in line with the basics of the California law.
We’re not about to see college football implode or anything that drastic, but these are significant developments with the game and all collegiate athletics. The NCAA hates it, but the public opinion on the matter continues to shift away from the NCAA’s stance. Not everybody is on board (many coaches have voiced their concerns despite their million-dollar contracts), but there may not be a lot that can be done if state governments are stepping in and addressing this issue.