California is close to passing a law that would return to athletes what the NCAA unjustly stole: the rights to their own names, images and likenesses.
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“The NCAA could change these rules,” said Senator Nancy Skinner, a Democrat from Berkeley and co-author of the bill.
Skinner says she has long been interested in ensuring that athletes get a fair shake, stemming from her days as an undergraduate and graduate student at the University of California, Berkeley, and as a life-long sports fan.
Sen. Skinner said she takes Emmert's letter as a threat.
"It's definitely a threat to colleges," she said.
“The NCAA and colleges and universities pocket billions of dollars a year from TV and corporate sponsorships, while student-athletes are blocked from receiving income for their talent and hard work,” said state Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley. “So, it’s not surprising that the NCAA would be worried about legislation that seeks to change the status quo.”
The bill by Sens. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, and Steven Bradford, D-Gardena, passed the Senate last month by a vote of 31 to 5. It’s scheduled to appear before an Assembly committee this week.
The NCAA is ratcheting up its opposition to a California bill that would allow college athletes in the state to earn compensation for the use of their own name, image or likeness, beginning in 2023.
Female athletes stand to gain especially from the prospective passage of the legislation.