BOSTON — It’s a debate happening on and off the court, and in state legislatures like California and Massachusetts.
Sen. Barry Finegold testified Tuesday, defending his Senate bill that would allow college athletes to receive paying endorsements.
“It’s really about the NCAA and them saying OK, it really needs to be more about the student athletes and about the universities and not about the NCAA making money,” Finegold said.
A house bill filed about a month ago would require schools to provide 15 percent of revenue from ticket sales to athletes.
Finegold pointed to LSU coach Ed Orgeron’s $500,000 bonus for the team’s national championship victory, and student athletes who have faced discipline for receiving financial benefits like former UMass Amherst and NBA star Marcus Camby.
“If you’re someone that’s so poor, that barely can get together lunch or buy your textbooks, why is it a bad thing if all of a sudden you sign for an agent? Why is it a bad thing if you get a sneaker deal with Nike? Why is it such a bad thing?” Finegold said.
At Boston College, one of the D-1 schools Finegold is targeting, the campus is humming ahead of the big match-up with Duke Tuesday.
“I feel like they do have a right to their likeness in some sense. I know instituting a bill like that would pervert the college athletic game, in some way, shape or form. But these schools are making billions upon billions of dollars off these students, so they should at least get some of that,” said Boston College student Griffin Adair.
“Pervert the game” because student athletes already get scholarships and other school perks to play.
In a statement, the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Massachusetts, which represents Boston College, said; “Congress and the NCAA have agreed to develop a federal solution that will include many of the provisions in the proposed state legislation. A federal solution is critical so that colleges and their athletes are not operating under 50 different state policies.”
Last October, the NCAA voted in favor of student athlete compensation but no plan or timeline is in place.
Students like Maria Lucatorto say if the NCAA isn’t acting, lawmakers should.
“The student athletes work so hard and it’s their name technically the school is trying to sell, like represent, so they should be compensated for it,” Lucatorto said.
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