College athletes constantly travel, train, and prepare for their next big game and often find it difficult to make money. If the NCAA started to pay these athletes for the shows they put on for the schools, that wouldn’t be a problem. Multiple professional athletes and famous politicians have spoken out, including LeBron James, Richard Sherman, Katelyn Ohashi, Chris Murphy, and Bernie Sanders. 

“Potentially I see it motivating more students to play more sports, but not many college athletes will be paid. I think athletes have the fundamental right to be paid in certain ways, but I do believe that the change will alter sports in ways we don’t know,” said history teacher Morgan Latimer, who is a former Virginia Tech swimmer.

In the past, multiple attempts from states, colleges, and even the government tried to pay college athletes for their efforts. The NCAA has started to allow college athletes to receive pay for their name and image. California has proposed a solution that will benefit college athletes. The law states that athletes can hire agents and profit from endorsements. The law will take effect in 2023. The association is still working out the details on how student-athletes would earn compensation.

“Mark Emmert, the head of the NCAA, makes millions. Coaches today are making millions. Who’s not making anything? I don’t want to hear about they get scholarships. Yeah, they get scholarships all right, they earn those scholarships,” said sportscaster Dick Vitale.

Over the past week, the NCAA decided to suspend Ohio State star Chase Young and Memphis freshman James Wiseman for “borrowing” money from family members or coaches. In a matter of 10 hours, arguably the best college football player and potential number one pick in the 2020 NBA draft was benched for eligibility problems.

It was later revealed that Young paid back the loan that was used to fly his girlfriend to the Rose Bowl, where the Buckeyes were playing. However, for Wiseman, the lawsuit continues. These two ineligibility rulings were the most recent in a long history of problems surrounding pay for play in the NCAA. With new laws being proposed, these issues should become less frequent, if not disappear entirely.