It's time to change the rules of the game!
[ [link removed] ][IMG]
Demand that your Congressmembers guarantee fair pay for student-athletes
in every state!
[ [link removed] ]Take Action
John,
A billion-dollar association does not transform from a capitalistic
behemoth into a progressive organization overnight. Last Tuesday, the
NCAA’s Board of Governors announced that it will start a process to
enhance name, image, and likeness opportunities for student-athletes, once
its three divisions decide on rules for these opportunities. This is
monumental — but we know the NCAA has a long history of mercilessly
exploiting Black student-athletes. When California passed the Fair Pay to
Play Act last month, the NCAA’s authority over Black student-athletes was
directly challenged. In fact, the NCAA fought against this legislation
from the time the bill was introduced until Governor Gavin Newsom signed
the bill.
The NCAA’s new decision is a power move in retaliation for states
attempting to govern their own college athletes. It is also a strategic
opportunity for the NCAA to maintain full control of players by creating
the terms for their compensation — and will likely include arbitrary
limitations on how players can be compensated. We can’t leave it up to the
NCAA to create fair rules in a game it never wanted to play. Even with
this change, the NCAA is still making billions without fairly paying Black
student-athletes for their work. We must continue to fight for legislative
and regulatory oversight guaranteeing players the dignity of a fair wage.
[ [link removed] ]Demand congressional legislation to end the exploitation of Black
student-athletes across the country!
Until justice is real,
Jade
(see our earlier email below for more details on this campaign)
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It's time to change the rules of the game!
[ [link removed] ][IMG]
Demand that your Congressmembers guarantee fair pay for student-athletes
in every state!
[ [link removed] ]Take Action
John,
WE DID IT! Last Monday, after more than 20,000 petition signatures, 3
billboards, and 10,000 combined letters and phone calls made by Color Of
Change members, California’s governor signed the Fair Pay to Play Act into
law. Finally, after decades of being exploited, student-athletes in
California have the opportunity to make money from endorsements, hire
agents, and earn profits from their own names, images, and likenesses.
This historic law is a major step forward in our fight against the
National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) “amateurism” policy,
which disproportionately exploits Black players.
But while the Fair Pay to Play Act has opened the doors for economic
opportunity in California, student-athletes in the other 49 states and
Washington, D.C. will continue being exploited, unless this legislation
becomes federal law. Several states, including New York and South
Carolina, are already looking to pass similar laws.^1 But the NCAA is
still aggressively fighting to maintain full control of the
student-athletes they call amateur players. They are using scare tactics
and threatening to ban schools from competitions to prevent states from
enacting similar laws. So we need to pressure Congress to make fair pay
the standard for college athletes in every state.
[ [link removed] ]Demand that the U.S. Congress guarantee fair pay for college athletes
in every state.
Passing the Fair Pay to Play Act in California is the beginning of a
national movement for fairness in collegiate sports, and will hopefully
mark the end of the NCAA’s stranglehold on the wealth created by
student-athletes. This movement transcends geographic and partisan lines -
even Republicans like North Carolina Representative Warner think the NCAA
has gone too far in their exploitation. He recently introduced a bill in
Congress, the Student-Athlete Equity Act (HR 1804), which would strip the
NCAA of their tax-exempt status unless they begin allowing athletes to
profit off their likenesses.^2 Building on the momentum from California,
we now have the opportunity to force open the doors of economic
opportunity for Black student-athletes across the country.
By passing a federal law, we can force an end to the NCAA’s long
exploitation of Black student-athletes and usher in a new golden era of
collegiate sports. By opening the door to fair pay, we can empower Black
student-athletes to better navigate the balancing act of college sports,
honoring the demands of their team while staying on top of schoolwork.
It’s time to change the rules of the game and allow student-athletes to
cash in on their hard work. It’s time to #PayThePlayers.
[ [link removed] ]Demand that your Congressmembers guarantee fair pay for
student-athletes!
Until justice is real,
Jade, Rashad, Arisha, Johnny, Evan, Future, Amanda, Eesha, Samantha,
Marcus, FolaSade and the rest of the Color of Change team
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References:
1. “What's Next After California Signs Game Changer Fair Pay to Play Act
into Law?,” Sports Illustrated, September 30, 2019,
[link removed]
2. “Student-Athlete Equity Act Would End NCAA’s Tax-exempt Status Unless
They Allow Athletes to Profit,” Medium, June 5, 2019,
[link removed]
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[ [link removed] ]Color Of Change is building a movement to elevate the voices of Black
folks and our allies, and win real social and political change. [ [link removed] ]Help
keep our movement strong.
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