Bay Area Athletes React To Newsom Signing Revolutionary College Sports Bill
SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) -- Be it football, basketball or any other major college sport, athletic programs mean dollar signs for universities. Soon, student athletes will be able to cash in as well.
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Starting in 2023, college athletes will be able to make money from the sport they play through endorsements. While the NCAA and some California schools voiced their issues with the bill, many in the athletic world are on board.
"Creating change and creating opportunity is huge. I know there's still a lot of work to be done, but this is a step in the right direction," said Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry during the team's media day Monday.
"It signifies a shift that -- at minimum -- change is needed. And if this is it, I don't know. But its a statement towards that," said Warriors GM Bob Meyers.
Signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom Monday, SB 206 will allow student athletes to hire agents, sign endorsement deals and profit from their names and likenesses just like professional athletes.
But the blow back from the university level to the new law had been harsh. The Pac 12, which hosts four California schools, said the law will "lead to the professionalization of college sports and many unintended consequences related to this professionalism."
The NCAA-college sports governing body called it unconstitutional, saying "a patchwork of different laws from different states will make unattainable the goal of providing a fair and level playing field."
But Golden State's Draymond Green said that's been the case for athletes for years.
"The NCAA is a dictatorship. It's backwards and someone needs to force this dictatorship to change," said Green.
The NCAA is now looking into its next move, legal or otherwise, while athletics departments across the country are scrambling to gauge the impact this new law will have. But whatever happens off the field, court or venue is sure to mean major changes on it.
"Any school in California now has a leg up, because money talks. The NCAA can fight all they want, but at the end of the day, money talks. And money is what runs things, so California runs the game right now," said former 49er Ian Williams.
