NCAA Athletes Can Now Profit From Endorsements in California

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill today that will allow college athletes in his state to earn money from endorsements. It’s an enormous move in the long battle between the NCAA and amateur athletes, who bring huge profits to their schools in revenue sports but see almost none of them. Per NPR:

The governor signed the measure in a segment released Monday by Uninterrupted, a sports programming company co-founded by LeBron James.

Newsom proclaimed the move as “the beginning of a national movement — one that transcends geographic and partisan lines.”

Read Newsom’s statement here, and watch his segment with LeBron and company:

Colleges reap billions from student athletes but block them from earning a single dollar. That’s a bankrupt model.

I just signed the Fair Play to Pay Act with @KingJames — making CA the first state to allow student athletes to profit off their name, image, and likeness. pic.twitter.com/aWE9OL9r1v

— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) September 30, 2019

This move wasn’t unexpected, but it is the start of a battle with the NCAA that could well be the beginning of the end of that organization.