East Bay state Sen. Nancy Skinner’s “Fair Pay for Fair Play” bill could drastically change how the NCAA, the powerful governing body of college sports in the U.S., does business.
Skinner’s legislation to give college student athletes in California the ability to be paid when their likeness is used by for profit by their college and university may affect more people nationwide than it will in the state like few bills under consideration this year in Sacramento.
This was underscored Thursday when NBA superstar LeBron James offered his support for Skinner’s Senate Bill 206. James urged his 43 million Twitter followers to support the bill.
Although, James never played college sports, he was nonetheless monetized as a high school athlete. Basketball scouts tagged him, quite presciently, as a once-in-a-generation talent. He jumped from high school straight to the NBA.
Other high-profile names have added support for Skinner’s bill. Democratic presidential candidates Sen. Bernie Sanders and Andrew Yang back SB206.
DeMaurice Smith, the executive director of the NFL Players Association, also came out in favor of Skinner’s bill on Thursday.
The state senate approved the SB 206 last May, 31-5. The legislation is currently being debated in the Assembly.
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