Law.com Subscribers SAVE 30%

Call 855-808-4530 or email [email protected] to receive your discount on a new subscription.

Student Athletes Try to Form Labor Union

By Jeffrey Campolongo and Scott M. Badami
December 01, 2023

One of the most frequent questions that crosses the plane of sports and employment law, is whether college athletes should be paid. Student athletes contend that they should be treated as "employees" while educational institutions prefer to classify students as merely that, students. The landscape dramatically changed in 2021, when the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) implemented its interim policy on name, image and likeness (NIL), allowing student-athletes to make money from their personal brand.

The NCAA's interim policy has three main parts:

  • Athletes can engage in NIL activities if they follow their state's laws where their school is located. Schools must ensure these activities comply with state law.
  • Athletes in states without NIL laws can still participate in NIL activities without breaking NCAA rules.
  • Athletes are allowed to seek professional service providers for their NIL activities.

The Next College Student Athlete (NCSA) is the largest college athletic recruiting platform connecting high school athletes with college coaches. The NCSA website sets forth examples of the types of things for which student athletes could now be paid. The list includes things such as: autographs and memorabilia, camps and clinics, personal appearances, merchandise, affiliate/ambassador roles, NFTs, blogging, podcasting, public speaking, music, art, etc.

This premium content is locked for Entertainment Law & Finance subscribers only

  • Stay current on the latest information, rulings, regulations, and trends
  • Includes practical, must-have information on copyrights, royalties, AI, and more
  • Tap into expert guidance from top entertainment lawyers and experts

For enterprise-wide or corporate acess, please contact Customer Service at [email protected] or 877-256-2473

Read These Next
Why So Many Great Lawyers Stink at Business Development and What Law Firms Are Doing About It Image

Why is it that those who are best skilled at advocating for others are ill-equipped at advocating for their own skills and what to do about it?

Bankruptcy Sales: Finding a Diamond In the Rough Image

There is no efficient market for the sale of bankruptcy assets. Inefficient markets yield a transactional drag, potentially dampening the ability of debtors and trustees to maximize value for creditors. This article identifies ways in which investors may more easily discover bankruptcy asset sales.

The DOJ's Corporate Enforcement Policy: One Year Later Image

The DOJ's Criminal Division issued three declinations since the issuance of the revised CEP a year ago. Review of these cases gives insight into DOJ's implementation of the new policy in practice.

A Lawyer's System for Active Reading Image

Active reading comprises many daily tasks lawyers engage in, including highlighting, annotating, note taking, comparing and searching texts. It demands more than flipping or turning pages.

Blockchain Domains: New Developments for Brand Owners Image

Blockchain domain names offer decentralized alternatives to traditional DNS-based domain names, promising enhanced security, privacy and censorship resistance. However, these benefits come with significant challenges, particularly for brand owners seeking to protect their trademarks in these new digital spaces.