Education
Gov. Newsom Signs Fair Pay to Play Act Allowing College Athletes to Earn Money
Sen. Wilk said “The biggest winners today are the college athletes who will now have control over their own financial futures.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed SB 26, a bill by Senators Nancy Skinner and Steven Bradford that moves up the implementation date of California’s Fair Pay to Play Act to Sept. 1, 2021.
SB 26, which is co-authored by California Senate Republican Leader Scott Wilk of Santa Clarita, also garnered overwhelming bipartisan, bicameral support in the state Legislature, winning unanimous approvals in the Senate and Assembly.
Skinner said SB26 expands and strengthens the rights of college athletes to earn money from their name, image, and likeness (NIL). Bradford said the new law “is proof that our political system is an important one for undoing the vestige of slavery. There should be no place in our state where young, hardworking, and talented people are denied the fruits of their labor and are left struggling to purchase books, food, and have a place to sleep while others benefit from their talent and hard work.”
Sen. Wilk said “The biggest winners today are the college athletes who will now have control over their own financial futures.”
SB 26 also strengthens the Fair Pay to Play Act by allowing college athletes to earn money from their “athletic reputation.” The concept of athletic reputation has been adopted by other states and embraced by the NCAA, and it ensures a college athlete can identify in ads and endorsements what school they attend.
In addition, SB 26 also adds California Community Colleges to the Fair Pay to Play Act.
The immediate implementation of the Fair Pay to Play Act also clears up any confusion that California schools and students might have about NIL rights as all California colleges will have to conform to state law.
Earlier this summer, the NCAA released a decision allowing NIL rights but specifying that colleges and universities in states without an NIL law could essentially create their own rules. The signing of SB 26 also ensures that all California colleges and student athletes will compete on a level playing field.
