In a move that seems as athletic as any of its college athletes, the NCAA did a complete 180 yesterday when its top governing board voted unanimously to allow college athletes to be compensated.
There is still much to be worked out though—like each of the NCAA’s three divisions crafting their own rules and detailing the specifics.
Student-athletes must still be treated similarly to non-athlete students, the NCAA reiterated in its press release. The NCAA also stipulates that college athletes must not be treated like employees of their respective universities, and that there should be a “clear distinction between college and professional opportunities.”
“We must embrace change to provide the best possible experience for college athletes,” Board of Governors chairman and president of Ohio State University Michael V. Drake said. “Additional flexibility in this area can and must continue to support college sports as a part of higher education. This modernization for the future is a natural extension of the numerous steps NCAA members have taken in recent years to improve support for student-athletes, including full cost of attendance and guaranteed scholarships.”
The decision is a major shift for the organization, which had historically been steadfast in prohibiting college athletes from being paid, in order to preserve the organization’s amateurism rules. The organization sent a letter to California’s Governor Gavin Newsom earlier in September opposing the state’s “Fair Play to Play Act,” arguing that it would “upend [a] level playing field for all student-athletes.”
Looks at them mimicking their NCAA players again with a speedy backpedal
Source:CNBC