One of the biggest things heating up sports bars all over the state is the issue of athletes getting paid for rendering their athletic abilities to the school. While fandoms have been divided over the issue, Anthony Gonzalez has stepped up with a piece of legislation that will add fuel to the fire.
Gonzalez, who spent five seasons in the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts, proposed a federal law to establish a system that will allow student-athletes to get paid for their image and likeness. The Ohio congressman crafted this bill in response to the one California passed recently.
He explained his logic behind the proposal:
“I actually think that we need to do something quickly, within the next year,” Gonzalez told ESPN. “I don’t think you have three years to figure this out. I think decisions will start happening immediately.”
“There are a lot of people who are trying to get a piece of the athlete who do not have their best interest in mind and are out for nefarious means,” said Gonzalez, who was an All-Big Ten receiver at Ohio State before playing in the NFL for five years. “You can imagine a world where, if there were no guardrails in place, that it could get out of hand pretty quickly. That’s the lane you’re trying to carve. How do you do this to provide necessary and deserved benefits while not inviting a bigger problem alongside it?”
The NCAA and a good number of schools are against the measure, saying that it goes against the principles of what a student-athlete should be. However, it’s been pointed out multiple times that collegiate sports is now a multi-billion dollar industry thanks to TV rights and merchandise sales.
Moreover, this isn’t the first time the scholarship has been pitted against a student’s right to earn money. UCF kicker Donald De La Haye decided to let go of his scholarship to pursue his YouTube channel.
If this law is passed, it will irrevocably change the scene of college sports. However, no one can predict the extent of its effect in the future.