NCAA to hear proposal on allowing athletes to make money from name, image, likeness

The NCAA is moving in the direction towards allowing student-athletes to make money off their name, image, and likeness.

ESPN’s Dan Murphy has a long article on the subject matter that is worth your time if you are interested. The main takeaway is the the NCAA had a working group study the possibility of allowing student-athletes to make money.

The working group is planning to propose changes to the NCAA in a meeting on Tuesday. The changes they are proposing to the NCAA include allowing student-athletes to appear in ads, have clothing deals, and hire agents for marketing opportunities.

Colleges refuse to put student-athletes on the payroll of the athletic department, feeling that is a non-starter as far as negotiations go to allow them to make money. But they are getting closer and closer to bending on the issue of athletes being able to have endorsement deals while in school.

Some athletes are starting to eschew college in favor of the NBA’s developmental program. There are not similar options for football players though since college football is the closest thing to a minor league for the NFL. But there has been a growing acknowledgment that the student-athletes should be allowed to capitalize on their fame while in school, and the NCAA is evolving to recognize that.

According to Murphy, the NCAA “typically votes on new rules at their annual meeting in January, but the board of governors can institute new policies at other times if deemed necessary.” If they do not feel this is extremely high priority, the proposal could wait until next year.