US: California to let college athletes make money, defying NCAA

Defying the NCAA, California’s governor signed a first-in-the-nation law Monday that will let college athletes hire agents and make money from endorsements, a move that could upend amateur sports in the US and trigger a legal challenge.

Under the law, which takes effect in 2023, students at public and private universities in the state will be allowed to sign deals with sneaker companies, soft drink makers or other advertisers and profit from their images, names or likenesses, just like the pros.

“It’s going to change college sports for the better by having now the interest, finally, of the athletes on par with the interests of the institutions,” Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a tweeted video. “Now we’re rebalancing that power arrangement.”

He predicted other states will introduce similar legislation. Two lawmakers in South Carolina have already announced plans to do so.

The new law applies to all sports, though the big money to be made is in football and basketball. It bars schools from kicking athletes off the team if they get paid. It does not apply to community colleges and prohibits athletes from accepting endorsement deals that conflict with their schools’ existing contracts.