Pardon me as I pick my jaw up off the floor. Can it be? The NCAA has actually come to its senses and realized that a change is needed in the rules governing whether or not players can earn money? That is exactly what happened on Tuesday and the world of collegiate sports may never be the same.

The NCAA says that all three levels of collegiate athletics must come up with a series of rules and guidelines by 2021 that will allow athletes to profit off of their name, image, and likeness. It's something that many, including myself, have been saying is the next step for quite a while. The situation came to a head earlier this year when California passed a law that gave student-athletes that right in 2023. A similar law was being proposed in Iowa and other states.

The two Iowa lawmakers who introduced the bill say that they're happy the NCAA is taking action. They also believe that it is because of action from states like California, Iowa, and others that forced the NCAA to change its ways.

I'll give the NCAA some credit. They saw what was becoming a difficult situation and solved the issue by changing the rule themselves. Could you imagine a landscape where some states allowed this and some didn't? It would have tipped the competitive balance. Now athletes get control of something that they already own. Their NAME.

 

[via KCRG]

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