Big news coming out of California yesterday where we learned that Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill that allows college athletes to sign endorsement deals that can earn them cold hard cash.
The bill allows players to hire and retain agents, while letting the student-athletes endorse local restaurants, car dealerships, ramen shops—you name it.
The NCAA, of course, called the measure “unconstitutional.” It’s worth noting the law doesn’t let the actual schools pay the players, but lets the kids find streams of revenue by way of their likeness.
The NCAA formed a committee back in May to weigh the options it has in paying student-athletes, but it doesn’t sound like much has happened with that.
The bill also isn’t to take effect until Jan. 1, 2023... which is a long ways away. That gives stalwarts like literally every major university in California ample time to fight the ruling in the courts. But not on the court, where it should be settled. There is a reason for the delay, though: to give other states time to catch up to California’s lead, and pass similar laws.
“Every single student in the university can market their name, image and likeness; they can go and get a YouTube channel, and they can monetize that,” Newsom said in an interview with The New York Times. “The only group that can’t are athletes. Why is that?”
I’m not going to sit here and pretend like I know what this means for the greater college sports landscape, mostly because we’re looking at three-year timeline MINIMUM, and you know that’s going to get extended. I’ve always thought Ihmir Smith-Marsette should get some of the money I paid for my No. 6 jersey,
The Hawks
- Iowa is still pretty banged up going into Michigan, per the latest depth chart. But guys progressing pretty well in a short period of time isn’t unheard of...
- Three Hawkeye Marching Band Members filed criminal complaints related to incidents that happened while in Ames. Victim blame some more, Jaime Pollard.
- RELATED: Gov. Kim Reynolds says ending the Iowa-Iowa State game is not option... too bad her opinion really matter?
- “Why wouldn’t you want to come to Iowa?” Cedrick Lattimore tells Scott Dochterman. I can’t find a good reason.
- No Bohannon in these Iowa basketball practice photos :(
- In case you didn’t know, John Bohnenkamp, formerly of the Burlington Hawk Eye, is now writing for Sports Illustrated’s version of the Athletic, which its calling Maven. It’s free (for now) so say hello to John!
- Speaking of the Athletic, this piece on eating restrictions for college athletes is pretty nuts.
The Rest
- The Ringer ranked every episode of Breaking Bad, for some reason.
- Listen up, Boilerhawk! John Taffer is in the hard seltzer business.
- How a tuxedoed sommelier wound up homeless.
- What the future of American ballparks should look like.
- Eddie Murphy back?
- How do you make a prank call in 2019?