College athletes can be paid for name and likeness in Illinois starting
Thursday
Send a link to a friend
[June 30, 2021]
By JERRY NOWICKI
Capitol News Illinois
jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com
SPRINGFIELD – Lawmakers, collegiate
athletes and athletic directors from some of the state’s most prominent
universities on Tuesday hailed the governor’s signing of a bill allowing
college athletes to be paid for the use of their name and likeness as
innovative and equity-centric.
University of Illinois Athletic Director Josh Whitman called Gov. JB
Pritzker’s signing of Senate Bill 2338 into law “the most dramatic,
meaningful change to come to the collegiate model since the adoption of
athletic scholarships.”
The bill had wide bipartisan support in the Illinois General Assembly,
and Pritzker signed it at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s
State Farm Center, accompanied by lawmakers including former college
athletes House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, and Rep.
Kambium Buckner, D-Chicago.
“We're very proud to be able to host this very important and special
day, not only in the history of college athletics here in our state, but
in the history of college athletics across all of the states,” Whitman
said. “And this is one of those days that allows us to begin to usher in
the new era of college athletics.”
Athletic directors from Northwestern University and DePaul University
were also present at the news conference Tuesday.
The new law, which takes effect July 1, allows Illinois college athletes
to be paid for the use of their name, image or likeness, such as
appearing at autograph signings at local businesses or appearing in
advertising. It would also allow the athletes to hire an agent, but
would not consider them employees of the schools they attend and would
not allow them to be compensated for athletic performance.
Buckner, who played football at the University of Illinois, said the new
law “is not just a win for the star quarterback or the star point
guard.”
“This gives the women's tennis player an opportunity to be compensated
for teaching lessons back in her hometown during summer breaks,” he
said. “This creates an apparatus for the women's softball player to lend
her image to the local pizzeria for fair market value.”
Eva Rubin, a women’s basketball player at the U of I, said college
athletes pour hours into their school work and sports careers, but there
are other partnerships that the new law can help facilitate. She pointed
to her experience as a Type 1 diabetic and public outreach she has
participated in for that cause.
“With my small platform that I've been able to kind of build for myself
here at the University of Illinois, I've had many opportunities to work
with diabetes research foundations, the American Diabetes Association,
just organizations and causes like that that are important to me,” she
said. “So now with the (name, image and likeness law) being passed, I
can only imagine the opportunities that I'll be able to create for
myself and build for myself in ways that that will help me give back to
my community.”
Vederian Lowe, a lineman for U of I’s football team, said college
athletes have “been dreaming of” the opportunity to reap financial
benefits for the work they put into their sports. He called the bill a
“historic change” for college athletics.
[to top of second column]
|
State Rep. Kambium Buckner, D-Chicago, speaks at a
news conference at the University of Illinois Tuesday at which the
governor signed his bill allowing college athletes to be paid for
the use of their name and likeness. (Credit: Blueroomstream.com)
The new law will allow universities to prohibit a
student from obtaining any sponsorships from wearing logos from
certain brands during a competition. For example, if the university
has a contract with Nike, it can prevent in-game Adidas sponsorships
of individual athletes.
It prohibits endorsements for gambling, sports
betting, controlled substances, marijuana, tobacco, alcohol,
e-cigarettes, performance-enhancing supplements, adult
entertainment, “or any other product or service that is reasonably
considered to be inconsistent with the values or mission of a
postsecondary educational institution.”
Universities and colleges would be prohibited from adjusting
scholarship offers for students who receive compensation for their
name and likeness. And organizations such as the NCAA, which
oversees major college athletics, would be prohibited from punishing
athletes or schools that accept or allow compensation.
Illinois joins 20 other states having passed such legislation,
according to businessofcollegesports.com, although many of them have
later effective dates.
Gov. JB Pritzker said the state’s bill puts it “at the forefront” of
the movement to allow college athlete compensation.
“Beginning July 1, Illinois collegiate student athletes, no matter
the sport and no matter the division, can take control of their
destiny when it comes to their own name, image likeness and voice,”
he said. “With this law, Illinois is at the forefront of taking some
pressure off of talented kids who are torn between finishing their
degree or cashing in on the big leagues.”
In a narrow decision, the U.S. Supreme ruled 9-0 last week that the
NCAA cannot restrict education-related benefits to student athletes,
such as laptops and paid internships. The ruling did not touch on
athlete compensation.
Thus far, neither the NCAA nor U.S. Congress have set nationwide
rules governing college athlete compensation, although the
Associated Press reported last week that the NCAA is working on
temporary rules that could be in place by July.
“Obviously the college athletics landscape is changing, and I think
that what we have proven here through this coalition is that we will
always be willing and ready to be creative and to be a step ahead to
lead the charge,” Buckner said. “We don't know what everything will
look like in the coming months and years, but I think what this
signals is that we're poised and ready to be at the vanguard and be
at the front of the charge.”
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan
news service covering state government and distributed to more than
400 newspapers statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois
Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
|