Skip to content
ADVERTISEMENT
Sign In
  • Sections
    • News
    • Advice
    • The Review
  • Topics
    • Data
    • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
    • Finance & Operations
    • International
    • Leadership & Governance
    • Teaching & Learning
    • Scholarship & Research
    • Student Success
    • Technology
    • Transitions
    • The Workplace
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Special Issues
    • Podcast: College Matters from The Chronicle
  • Newsletters
  • Virtual Events
  • Ask Chron
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Professional Development
    • Career Resources
    • Virtual Career Fair
  • More
  • Sections
    • News
    • Advice
    • The Review
  • Topics
    • Data
    • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
    • Finance & Operations
    • International
    • Leadership & Governance
    • Teaching & Learning
    • Scholarship & Research
    • Student Success
    • Technology
    • Transitions
    • The Workplace
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Special Issues
    • Podcast: College Matters from The Chronicle
  • Newsletters
  • Virtual Events
  • Ask Chron
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Professional Development
    • Career Resources
    • Virtual Career Fair
    Upcoming Events:
    A Culture of Cybersecurity
    Opportunities in the Hard Sciences
    Career Preparation
Sign In
Backgrounder

California’s Athlete-Compensation Law Is Now Official, Posing a Serious Challenge to the NCAA

By Wesley Jenkins September 30, 2019
Greg Dulcich, a wide receiver on the U. of California at Los Angeles football team, jumps for a pass in a September 21 game against Washington State U. The governor of California has signed a bill that allows athletes at California universities to earn money from their name, image, and likeness rights.
Greg Dulcich, a wide receiver on the U. of California at Los Angeles football team, jumps for a pass in a September 21 game against Washington State U. The governor of California has signed a bill that allows athletes at California universities to earn money from their name, image, and likeness rights.William Mancebo, Getty Images

California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, made the state’s challenge to amateurism in collegiate sports a reality on Monday, signing into law a bill that allows athletes at California universities to earn money from their name, image, and likeness rights starting in 2023.

To continue reading for FREE, please sign in.

Sign In

Or subscribe now to read with unlimited access for as low as $10/month.

Don’t have an account? Sign up now.

A free account provides you access to a limited number of free articles each month, plus newsletters, job postings, salary data, and exclusive store discounts.

Sign Up

Greg Dulcich, a wide receiver on the U. of California at Los Angeles football team, jumps for a pass in a September 21 game against Washington State U. The governor of California has signed a bill that allows athletes at California universities to earn money from their name, image, and likeness rights.
Greg Dulcich, a wide receiver on the U. of California at Los Angeles football team, jumps for a pass in a September 21 game against Washington State U. The governor of California has signed a bill that allows athletes at California universities to earn money from their name, image, and likeness rights.William Mancebo, Getty Images

California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, made the state’s challenge to amateurism in collegiate sports a reality on Monday, signing into law a bill that allows athletes at California universities to earn money from their name, image, and likeness rights starting in 2023.

“This is the beginning of a national movement — one that transcends geographic and partisan lines,” Newsom said in a news release. “Colleges reap billions from these student-athletes’ sacrifices and success but, in the same breath, block them from earning a single dollar. That’s a bankrupt model.”

Newsom signed the bill on the HBO show of one of its most vocal proponents: the professional basketball player LeBron James. Also present for the episode of The Shop were the former UCLA gymnast Katelyn Ohashi, the WNBA player Diana Taurasi, and the former UCLA basketball player Ed O’Bannon.

During the show, James praised the bill, saying that one reason he skipped playing college basketball was to make money sooner to help his mom. “This is a game-changer for student-athletes and for equity in sports,” James said on the show. “Athletes at every level deserve to be empowered and to be fairly compensated for their work, especially in a system where so many are profiting off of their talents.”

When the California State Assembly passed the legislation unanimously, in early September, the National Collegiate Athletic Association cautioned Newsom not to sign the bill, calling it “unconstitutional” and saying “it would erase the critical distinction between college and professional athletics.” The NCAA had previously commissioned a working group to study athletes’ name, image, and likeness rights in response to the California legislation, and its preliminary report is expected in October.

Sports-law experts previously forecasted to The Chronicle that, if the bill were enacted, California would open the door to a legal battle with the NCAA. “The NCAA has to come out with some vigor to oppose what would be a pretty substantial change to their model of amateurism,” said Michael McCann, director of the Sports and Entertainment Law Institute at the University of New Hampshire.

Gabe Feldman, director of Tulane University’s sports-law program, cited NCAA v. Miller, a case in which the University of Nevada at Las Vegas argued that state law held priority over the NCAA’s rules, as a benchmark for any future litigation. In NCAA v. Miller, a federal court found the state’s statute in violation of the commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution, dealing UNLV a loss. Despite that precedent, Feldman did concede that the NCAA’s constraints around amateurism are “more likely to get some change than ever before.”

In a statement responding to the California bill, the NCAA stressed that change needed to occur on the federal level, not state by state. “Unfortunately, this new law already is creating confusion for current and future student-athletes, coaches, administrators, and campuses, and not just in California,” the statement said. “It is clear that a patchwork of different laws from different states will make unattainable the goal of providing a fair and level playing field.”

Copycat bills have cropped up around the country. A New York state senator has introduced similar legislation, and two South Carolina state lawmakers plan to introduce a bill in January. Experts warned that going state-by-state was unlikely to change the NCAA’s rules, but a federal bill is in the works as well.

ADVERTISEMENT

The Student-Athlete Equity Act, a bipartisan bill introduced this year in the U.S. House of Representatives, now rests with the House Committee on Ways and Means. If enacted, the measure would amend the federal tax code to prevent amateur-sports organizations from “restricting the use of an athlete’s name, image, or likeness.”

For now, the NCAA’s main fight will stay in California. “The minute we sign this, all of the sudden now they have to deal with California,” Newsom said on The Shop. “I don’t want to say this is checkmate, but this is a major problem for the NCAA.”

Wesley Jenkins is an editorial intern at The Chronicle. Follow him on Twitter @_wesjenks, or email him at wjenkins@chronicle.com.


A version of this article appeared in the October 11, 2019, issue.
We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
Tags
Athletics
Share
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Email
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Related Content

California Is Poised to Challenge the NCAA Over Amateurism. Here’s What Could Happen Next.
A Bill That Would Free College Athletes to Earn Money From Their Likeness Is Gaining Ground in California
The California Bill Challenging NCAA Amateurism Just Cleared Another Hurdle. Here’s How It Got Started.

More News

Harvard University
'Deeply Unsettling'
Harvard’s Battle With Trump Escalates as Research Money Is Suddenly Canceled
Photo-based illustration of a hand and a magnifying glass focusing on a scene from Western Carolina Universiy
Equal Opportunity
The Trump Administration Widens Its Scrutiny of Colleges, With Help From the Internet
Santa J. Ono, president of the University of Michigan, watches a basketball game on the campus in November 2022.
'He Is a Chameleon'
At U. of Michigan, Frustrations Grew Over a President Who Couldn’t Be Pinned Down
Photo-based illustration of University of Michigan's president Jeremy Santa Ono emerging from a red shape of Florida
Leadership
A Major College-President Transition Is Defined by an About-Face on DEI

From The Review

Illustration showing a stack of coins and a university building falling over
The Review | Opinion
Here’s What Congress’s Endowment-Tax Plan Might Cost Your College
By Phillip Levine
Photo-based illustration of a college building under an upside down baby crib
The Review | Opinion
Colleges Must Stop Infantilizing Everyone
By Gregory Conti
Photo illustration of Elon Musk and the Dome of the U.S. Capitol
The Review | Opinion
On Student Aid, It’s Congressional Republicans vs. DOGE
By Robert Gordon, Jordan Matsudaira

Upcoming Events

Ascendium_06-10-25_Plain.png
Views on College and Alternative Pathways
Coursera_06-17-25_Plain.png
AI and Microcredentials
  • Explore Content
    • Latest News
    • Newsletters
    • Letters
    • Free Reports and Guides
    • Professional Development
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle Store
    • Chronicle Intelligence
    • Jobs in Higher Education
    • Post a Job
  • Know The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • Vision, Mission, Values
    • DEI at The Chronicle
    • Write for Us
    • Work at The Chronicle
    • Our Reporting Process
    • Advertise With Us
    • Brand Studio
    • Accessibility Statement
  • Account and Access
    • Manage Your Account
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Group and Institutional Access
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
  • Get Support
    • Contact Us
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • User Agreement
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037
© 2025 The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Chronicle of Higher Education is academe’s most trusted resource for independent journalism, career development, and forward-looking intelligence. Our readers lead, teach, learn, and innovate with insights from The Chronicle.
Follow Us
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • facebook
  • linkedin