NCAA Allowing Athletes To Be Compensated
After steady pressure from lawmakers and many pundits, the NCAA is finally relenting. On Tuesday, the governing body of collegiate athletics voted to allow athletes in Divisions I through III to be compensated.
The NCAA voted to allow athletes to be compensated for use of their image and likeness. According to the Associated Press, the three divisions now have until January of 2021 to determine how the rule will be implemented, without compromising student-athletes’ amateur statuses. Many on the board still voiced concern over possible corruption that could stem from the new ruling.
The state of California passed a bill allowing student-athletes to make money in September. According to Newsweek, the bill was similar to what the NCAA passed yesterday, in that student-athletes could profit from their image and likeness. Illinois and New York are among the states considering similar legislation.
The decision by the NCAA has been met by approval, but also skepticism. A social media analysis on Social Studio of ‘NCAA,’ ‘pay,’ and ‘compensation’ generated over 11,000 hits across the web. There have also been numerous posts from lawmakers, celebrities, media, and other pundits.
Overall, the sentiment has been positive, according to Social Studio, at 65 percent. A word cloud reveals some of the key words that have been used in posts as well. Many are expected, such as ‘deserve,’ ‘pay,’ and ‘fight.’ Others also further explain the general sentiment being expressed online.
There will likely be more tweaks and changes in the coming year, since the compensation rules are not set to go into effect until 2021. So, we’ll likely have plenty more to follow from our perch in the Adam Brown Command Center.