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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.
Until justice is real,
Jade
(see our earlier email below for more details on this campaign)
It's time to change the rules of the game! Demand that your Congressmembers guarantee fair pay for student-athletes in every state!
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.
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.
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
References: 1. “What's Next After California Signs Game Changer Fair Pay to Play Act into Law?,” Sports Illustrated, September 30, 2019, 2. “Student-Athlete Equity Act Would End NCAA’s Tax-exempt Status Unless They Allow Athletes to Profit,” Medium, June 5, 2019,
https://act.colorofchange.org/go/196862?t=12&akid=38914%2E4731121%2Efmwu8B
https://act.colorofchange.org/go/196863?t=14&akid=38914%2E4731121%2Efmwu8B
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