NCAA Move Toward Compensation For Athletes Getting Closer

There are logistical challenges ahead, but change is coming to the NCAA over student-athletes' name, image and likeness rights.

A new NCAA mandate is expected to be instituted in college athletics allowing student-athletes to receive compensation for their name, image, and likeness thanks to a change of heart from the ruling body of intercollegiate athletics. 

 The Board of Governors—the NCAA's highest body of governance—now supports modifications to rules so that college athletes can receive compensation for third-party endorsements. 

While the change of heart could mean more money in the pockets of student-athletes, don't immediately assume this will be a free-for-all in terms of compensation to athletes. 

High profile athletes like former SEC stars Joe Burrow and Tua Tagovailoa could sign endorsement deals with national brands during their stay in college, but for the majority of athletes, heir opportunities for compensation would be more local inside the area of their institution. 

There would be compensation, but those local dollars would pale in comparison to deals for more significant names. 

Of course, here there is money involved, there are also opportunities for cheating, which means that the NCAA would have to provide the framework for this to attempt to discourage potential cheating. 

Oh no, that's crazy. No one would ever cheat in college athletics. 

It's time players are allowed to cash in, and former Vanderbilt and Nashville product Ke' Shawn Vaughn would have been a perfect fit for some local businesses to have signed him to help move their products. Still, as with most things, there are also potential pitfalls in this that must be addressed, but for athletes, these potential changes will be a welcome event.

 Ways To Make Money For Athletes

• Third-party endorsements by promoting a product or service through television, radio or in advertisements
• Social media influences by promoting products or services through Facebook or Twitter.
• Their content creation such as podcasts, YouTube videos, streaming video games with compensation through advertisements,
• Personal promotions like autograph signings meet and greets or public speaking engagements.  

Possible Restrictions

• Athletes or third parties cannot use logos, trademarks, or other such representation from school or conferences in endorsements. 
• Schools or conferences cannot make endorsement payments themselves.
• Schools or conferences cannot initiate, facilitate or help athletes locate or arrange endorsements
• Schools cannot use, allow boosters to use endorsements as a means of enticement or for paying for enrollment or participation in athletics.

There will likely be legal challenges in the future, but the NCAA is attempting to move in the right direction. 

Follow Greg on Twitter @GregAriasSports and @SIVanderbilt or Facebook at Vanderbilt Commodores-Maven.