Community colleges were exempted from the “Fair Pay to Play Act,” which allows students-athletes in four-year universities to make money off their name and likeness.
One Southwestern College athlete however, said he is happy about the law in principle.
Defensive tackle Jailyn Dickerson started his collegiate football career at the University of Indiana, then transferred to SC to continue playing football.
He said the law is long overdue.
“The NCAA gets paid off our name, so we might as well get paid, too, and take care of our family and do what we got to do,” he said. “Like professional athletes, we play on TV sometimes, we sign autographs and kids look up to us. This new law is really going to make a statement not just in California, but in every NCAA school.”
NCAA officials reacted quickly. Two weeks after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the bill, the NCAA board voted unanimously to allow student athletes to make money off their likeness and image. Board chair Michael Drake issued a statement.
“We must embrace change to provide the best possible experience for college athletes,” it read.
SC Dean of Athletics James Spillers said he supports the law, but predicted it will put smaller schools at a financial disadvantage.
“I like the concept, but in practice it is going to be extremely difficult and it will divide California universities and teams from the rest of the country,” he said. “We have so many different levels of athletic institutions in the country. Unfortunately, for the San Diego States and San Jose States, it is going to be such an imbalance for them. When sponsors are looking for people to be the face of their product, they are looking at Alabama, Auburn, Ohio State.”
Dickerson said the California law will force athletic bodies in other states to pass similar legislation.
“California will have the advantage of being able to recruit better players, to have better teams,” he said.
Dickerson said college athletes who generate large amounts of money for their universities should benefit from their hard work and talent.
“Kids like Duke basketball star Zion Williamson, that is the brand,” he said. “Players like him are great athletes and they should get paid. They are making millions of dollars off his name—tickets, jerseys all that stuff so at least give us athletes a percentage.”
Correction: This article was updated on Feb. 26 to correct James Spillers’s name. The original post referred to him as Jim Spillers.
