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In 2019, California changed the course of college athletics by allowing student-athletes to cash in on the big business of college sports. For the first time, students were able to earn thousands of dollars from companies like Gatorade or Body Armor through brand deals.

“This is the beginning of a national movement,” said Governor Gavin Newsom. a statement After signing a 2019 bill that allows athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness. Other states soon followed and changed the NCAA rules governing college sports.

However, recently the state has moved away from this leadership role. California has recently failed to pass new, national precedent-setting legislation, and the state leaders behind those failed bills — Sen. Nancy SkinnerYou. Steven Bradfordand Member of Parliament Chris Holden – he will not have another chance to pass them. All three legislators are reaching their full term this year.

Skinner, an Oakland Democrat, and Bradford, an Inglewood Democrat, co-wrote the 2019 name, image and likeness bill that Newsom once touted. But last month the governor vetoed it. a bill Once again, the focus was placed on athletes’ compensation by Skinner. “Further changes in this dynamic must be made at the national level,” Newsom said. a statement.

Last year, Holden, a Pasadena Democrat, proposed a bill that would force college sports teams to share profits with their athletes. Additionally, an independent oversight body would be created to protect the health of California student-athletes. If passed, the legislation would partially address a long-standing concern that college coaches and trainers could put injured athletes back on the field before they are fully healed.

Holden said the bill represents the next frontier in athlete legislation. But he said he withdrew the bill this summer because the chairman of the Senate Education Committee is a Fullerton Democrat. Josh NewmanIt was no longer supported.

Holden said he didn’t know why Newman didn’t support it. Newman declined to comment. An analysis of publicly available data showed that USA Swimming, the sport’s national governing body, spent more than $10,000 opposing the bill. Stanford University spent $21,000 lobbying against the bill last fall; in addition, he spent $72,000 lobbying against the bill and another Holden bill focusing on harassment of college students.

Matt Brown, who publishes a newsletter called Extra Points explaining the business of college sports, said the pioneering legislation on athlete compensation in recent years has come from “red states,” not California or other Democratic strongholds. Brown said he has been “pretty unimpressed” with the way California lawmakers have grappled with the next generation of sports legislation since the landmark 2019 bill was passed.

‘Transitional period’ in university sports

Student-athletes in the US can earn money by monetizing their name, image or likeness approximately $1.7 billion This is the school year, according to a prediction from Opendorse, a technology platform for athletes’ name, image and likeness deals. The market is growing as red states pass new bills that further deregulate the ways college athletes make money, Brown said. “This is not because lawmakers in Missouri, Georgia and Mississippi have a deep and sincere conviction about economic justice for college athletes. Because the head coach says we have to do this so we can get players.”

More changes are on the way: A judge in Northern California is at the center of the case. high-profile federal class action lawsuitBrought to you by college athletes and allowing college athletic departments to share profits with students. In another case, the National Labor Relations Board found that student athletes at the University of Southern California must be a school employee – has the right to receive compensation and unionize. And this year, UCLA and USC, two of the top powerhouses in California college sports, swapped decades-old sports rivalries and lucrative TV deals by moving to a different athletic conference.

Newsom said those changes were the reason he vetoed the athlete compensation bill last month. “College sports are in a period of transition as many schools change athletic conferences and related matters are currently pending in the courts,” the statement said. “As governor, I want to ensure that California’s colleges continue to be competitive with other states.”