The NCAA Board of Governors voted Tuesday, in a first step, to allow student-athletes to profit from the use of their name, image, and likeness. Some Washington lawmakers have already been proposing legislation to make similar changes.
Washington State Rep. Drew Stokesbary (R-Auburn) sponsored a bill that would guarantee student-athletes those same rights.
“I think it's important for states like Washington to continue to keep up the pressure on the NCAA to make sure that the change is actually a meaningful change," said Stokesbary, "that really benefits the athletes that create the value and the product that we all tune into on Saturdays."
California's governor signed legislation last month to give college athletes the opportunity to earn endorsement money, making it the first U.S. state to do so. The legislation is expected to take effect in 2023.
The Washington measure stalled, in part, because other lawmakers didn’t want the state to be the “guinea pig,” Stokesbary said.
“I don't think the NCAA would make its announcement today were it not for the pressure put on it by states like Washington and California,” said Stokesbary.
“You’re seeing the push from states, and once the government gets involved, it gets the NCAA going,” said Dalton Thacker, who played division two basketball for Simpson University in California, and later researched student-athlete compensation while studying law at Seattle U.
Thacker said he scrubbed toilets and cleaned desks in college to earn extra money. He said although he attended a small school, there may have been opportunities for him and other athletes to do local commercials and partner with companies for sponsorships.
“I think that the time, the commitment, the work, that is required of student-athletes definitely should entitle them to some form of compensation,” Thacker said.
WSU head football coach Mike Leach last month expressed skepticism when asked about the California measure.
“I think it’s going to be very difficult, I think there will be a huge imbalance, and you’ll destroy college football, and I think they ought to be very careful of that,” he said.
Rep. Stokesbary pointed out that student-athletes are the only group who are prohibited from earning income from their own image.
“You go to the UW or WSU bookstore and you see jerseys for sale with the number of the star quarterback and it's very clear that these universities are profiting off of these players, but the players are being told they can’t actually get any of the income even though they’re the ones that create all the value,” he said.
The NCAA board is now directing each of the NCAA's three divisions to update their bylaws no later than January 2021.