Well playas…on Tuesday the NCAA finally took it’s blinders off and made it legal for student-athletes to profit off of their names, images and likenesses “in a manner consistent with the collegiate model.” Whatever that last part means. At the end of the day student-athletes will be able to get bread if their famous/popular enough.
According to a release by the board members “all changes should make sure student-athletes have the same opportunities to make money as all other students, maintain the priorities of education and the collegiate experience, and ensure that rules are “transparent, focused and enforceable” and do not create a competitive imbalance.” The new rules are to be implement by January 2021. So they’ve got a little over a year to figure this thing out.
Let’s keep it real or all the way 100, whichever comes 1st! The new California law that was just passed kicked the NCAA in the butt to move forward. The “Fair Pay to Play Act” was unanimously passed back in September by the California State Senate that will now allow athletes to be paid for the use of their name, likeness, and image without being punished. The NCAA had no other choice but to move forward because other states were about to make a move. So they could watch this thing run them over or they could get in the car with them.
I know that Tim Tebow’s got to be sitting in a corner somewhere looking stupid now that everybody is agreeing that it makes sense to allow student-athletes to “Get Money” like Junior Mafia.
Ole boy was on ESPN’s First Take back in September after the legislation was passed sounding like he was butt naked foamin’ at the mouth crazy. The former University of Florida Heisman Trophy winner was exploited more than any player in recent history, if not ever, and he had this foolishness to say:
“I feel like I have a little credibility and knowledge about this because when I was at the University of Florida, I think my jersey was one of the top-selling jerseys around the world. It was like Kobe, LeBron and then I was right behind them. I didn’t make a dollar from it, and nor did I want to because I knew going into college what it was all about.”
He went on to say, “I knew going to Florida, my dream school, where I wanted to go, the passion for it and if I could support my team, support my college, support my university, that’s what it’s all about. But now, we’re changing it from ‘Us,’ from ‘We, from ‘My University,’ from being an alumni where I care, which makes college football and college sports special, to then ‘OK, it’s not about us. It’s not about we, it’s just about me.’
You darn right it’s about “Me” playa! It’s always been about “ME” for the University. They don’t care two rips about the student-athlete. They only care about making a fortune, spitting players out and moving on to the next group willful participants. If you graduate cool but it’s of no importance to them. As long as they’re making money.
So if a student-athlete can get paid off of his or her name and likeness starting in 2021 then I’m cool with that. At least the kid can get paid in the process of being exploited. I’ve seen so many kids being taken advantage of on college campuses it’s ridiculous. For example, I can remember when Adrian Peterson was at Oklahoma. My son and I had season tickets there at the time and they were not only selling his No.28 jersey in every store you walked into in Oklahoma but they were also selling T-shirts with A.D. (his nickname All Day) on it. That kid didn’t make a dime off of those items being sold.
I can also remember when Johnny Football won the Heisman while at Texas A&M and they were auctioning off two of his autographed helmets. They sold them for $80,000 each and ole boy didn’t make a dime off of them not to mention all of the No.2 jerseys being sold. I could go on for hours with stories of famous student-athletes that were taken advantage of and the university made a fortune off of them. Unfortunately, most of those same kids never even graduated.
Now graduating is solely on the kid. You’ve got to have enough wherewithal to handle your business but if the school is going to pimp them at least let a boy make from money. I’m glad that California pushed all of the marbles to the middle of the table and forced the NCAA’s hand. Stop me when I start lyin’!
