Why you shouldn't be all that scared about the California Pay for Play Act

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the California Fair Pay to PLay act today, or more formally known as “California Senate Bill 206”…. And he did so on HBO’s The Shop sitting alongside LeBron James.

The bill doesn’t go into effect until January 1, 2023, with plenty of time for other states to hopefully hop on board.

The law stipulates that Student-athletes will be able to hire their own agents in hopes of capitalizing on their name, image, and likeness. And states that the schools themselves can’t pay the athletes directly.

So, college football fans galore have been up in arms immediately thinking that this automatically provides a competitive advantage for the athletic programs out in California, and as of now, the NCAA has stated that if it’s not nationwide by 2023, California schools that partake will not be eligible for championship events.

So this is obviously a layered issue:

It’s long been rumored and believed that college athletes have been paid behind closed doors, even dating back to the days of Reverend Patrick Mahan of Creighton University who once famously said:

“I am convinced, and reasonably so, that no regular player is on a big team without being paid. He does not, out of his own pocket pay for his tuition, fees, board, and lodging. Yet Authorities of universities denounce the subsidizing of athletics.” He continued, “If you sit in at a crooked game you must be crooked if you expect to win."

THAT WAS IN 1932!!!

So, there’s the argument that if they ARE getting paid under the table, then just leave it in the shadows. Don’t shine the light on it for all the world to see.

There’s the obvious fear that the schools with the highest levels of resources will be the teams that have the best players.

To which I say this:

Haven’t 7 of the last 10 College football championships been won by two schools?

Isn’t it already an arms race? Didn’t Georgia just approve an athletic budget of 153.9M dollar budget this spring? Didn’t Alabama football’s program take home 45.9 Million in profit in 2018? Didn’t LSU just build a $28 million locker room?

Why is it that fans don’t bat an eye when a coach says we need a new practice facility but all hell breaks loose the first time ONE governor decides, hey maybe some of this money should go to the people providing the product.

I don’t find it ridiculous that talented people should be compensated, and to the people that say it’s going to tarnish the brand of college sports and turn the game into a minor league NFL.

You’ll still scream you’re head off when the Dawgs score a late touchdown to beat Bama in the SEC championship game. I bet money.

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