The NCAA’s top decision makers have agreed, through a vote, that athletes should be able to profit from their name, image, and likeness, according to ESPN. This means that the NCAA will start working to create new rules that will allow for student-athletes to accept sponsorship deals. This means that athletes can now endorse things like sports drinks, shoes, businesses, or other types of products and services

This action comes following the state of California passing a law allowing players to make money from their name, image, and likeness, which will go into effect in January of 2023. According to the Washington Post, many states have started following California’s example and introduced bills, including Florida, New York, and Pennsylvania.  At the federal level, Congressman Mark Walker (R-NC) has introduced a federal bill that would change the federal tax code in a way that would allow college athletes to do the same thing, according to ESPN. 

With these new laws though, come concerns about talent discrimination. Senator Mitt Romney commented on the matter, saying he believes it is unfair if a few student-athletes are “driving around in Ferraris,” according to ESPN. The NCAA is working on rules to regulate this, but that doesn’t mean there still won’t be problems with those rules. 

In an interview with First Take, Tim Tebow, former NFL quarterback, spoke against the rule, saying “So let’s say there’s a great player he has a game – four games in a row where he kills it to the start of the year and a booster says hey if you come here we’re gonna give you this, this, and this, and you’re going to get five endorsements worth this much money. Now he’s gonna stop playing, maybe redshirt, like we see D’Eriq King doing right now, and then switching schools cause he’s going to go where the money is.” 

Though this new rule is a big step towards allowing student-athletes to start getting sponsorships, it is going to be difficult for the NCAA to smooth out the rules so both the athletes and the schools are happy.