A California Democrat introduced a bill that would require schools to pay college athletes annually, potentially crippling the competitive college football business.
State Assemblyman Chris Holden introduced Assembly Bill 252, or “The College Athlete Protection Act,” which would have Division I schools in California share half of their revenues with the athletes.
The compensation could be as much as $25,000, along with covering the cost of six-year guaranteed athletic scholarships and post-college medical expenses. The legislation would mostly be aimed at athletes competing in revenue-generating sports such as football and basketball, but not exclusively.
“I know how close you can come to an injury taking away not only the game you love to play but also your opportunity to finish college,” Holden said, who was a former college basketball player at San Diego State.
In 2019, California became the first state to enact legislation granting collegiate athletes the ability to receive payment for their name, image, and likeness. State legislatures around the nation responded by taking similar steps as a result. Holden is anxious for the state to once again take the lead.
“I’m not prepared to wait for Congress to address this pressing issue,” he said at a news conference outside the Rose Bowl stadium. “This is an extremely competitive and comprehensive bill that I believe will provide the income and health services that our college athletes deserve.”
This comes a week after college sports leaders at the NCAA convention reiterated the need for Congress’ help in regulating NIL compensation and protecting the association from state laws that undercut its ability to govern college sports.
“We need to solidify that as it relates to college sports, federal law preempts state law,” Baylor President Linda Livingstone, said the chairwoman of the NCAA’s Board of Governors last week. “In areas such as NIL, we already see that state legislators will take action that they believe will give the universities in their states a competitive edge over their neighbors.”
If Holden’s legislation were to become law, sports directors would have to choose between losing their jobs and receiving a $500,000 compensation cut. It’s also possible that the best coaching talent will leave in droves, which might spell USC’s demise.
