In a statement, Gov. Newsom said, “Colleges and universities reap billions from these student athletes’ sacrifices and success but…block them from earning a single dollar. That’s a bankrupt model — one that puts institutions ahead of the students they are supposed to serve. It needs to be disrupted.”
Fair Pay to Play Act is about “fairness and equity”
On the other hand, State Sen. Senator Steven Bradford, the co-sponsor of Fair Pay to Play Act, commented, “While our student athletes struggle to get by with basic necessities such as food and clothing, Universities and the NCAA make millions off of their talent and labor. College coaches are now some of the highest paid employees in the country because of the talented young men and women who play for them.”
He added that the legislation “addresses this civil rights issue” and it is about “fairness and equity.”
State Senator Nancy Skinner, co-sponsor of the legislation, praised Gov. Newsom. She said, “This is truly a historic moment for college athletes. Gov. Newsom once again shows why he is a national trailblazer. Signing SB 206 makes California the first state to restore to student athletes a right everyone else has: the right to earn money…”
