California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill on Monday allowing college athletes in the state to sign endorsement deals, effective beginning in 2023. Trenni Kusnierek, an anchor and reporter with NBC Sports Boston, told Boston Public Radio Tuesday that the controversial law has both passionate supporters and critics.
"Some people feel that this is a great opportunity, and great for female athletes who don't have the opportunity to play high level NFL, NBA, MLB sports where you make millions of dollars," she said. "Others say this is only going to benefit high-profile male athletes whose likenesses are already being used by universities."
Other critics of the law believe that it will unfairly benefit California college sports recruitment, Kusnierek added.
"Some feel that it's going to help California schools in recruiting, [since] they are now going to be able to recruit all of the best athletes," she said. "But the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) may say, 'Sorry, your athletes in California are not amateur athletes, they are professional athletes, so now you can't compete in NCAA championships.'"
Kusnierek thinks the NCAA will start a legal battle with this California law.
"The NCAA will file an injunction on this, they will take it to court," she said. "This is far from being over."
