In previous years, athletes that signed their letter of intent to play sports in the NCAA also sign away the rights to their name, image, and likeness. This prevents them from creating any type of business or organization or make a profit by the use of their own name. This created controversial on the fact that college sports bring in millions of dollars every year but the players doing all of the work to bring in that money aren’t getting any part of it. Another argument then arose that as college athletes, you don’t have the same schedule as a regular student which restricts them from getting a job and being able to earn money like other students have the opportunity to.

“The right athlete could be making millions,” said Leigh Steinberg, a well known sports agent. “This won’t be available to everyone as it will be a star system.”

On April 29, 2020, the NCAA officially announced that starting in the 2021-2022 school year, players will be allowed to use their names and likeness to earn money outside of the NCAA. For players of smaller sports or those that aren’t considered “stars,” this can include making money on social media. Whereas for the more known players, they will most likely be approached by companies and brands that want to sponsor them as an individual.

“This is going to be a fun time as a student athlete,” said Katie Defeo, a former lacrosse player at USC. “They are going to have so many cool opportunities.”