For many years, the National Athletic Collegiate Association, or the NCAA, has been receiving millions of dollars of revenue from their athletes and not sharing any of the money. They have been criticized for years and finally, they’ve decided to do something about it.

   The NCAA board members met at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. On Oct. 29, they voted to allow college athletes to make money off of their name, image, and likeness. The new rule is being implemented in January of 2021. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis agreed with the bill and will put it in place in Florida during the summer of 2020. 

   With the new rule, college athletes will be able to get sponsorships and endorsements. Since a college athlete’s schedule is full of practice, games, and classes, they tend to not have time to make any money. But now with this new rule in place, they will have the same opportunity to make money as the other students who are employed. 

   The major problem with the new rule is that athletes from smaller colleges may not be able to earn the same amount of money as athletes from bigger colleges. For example, athletes from big sports states like California, Texas, North Carolina, or Kentucky could earn hundreds of thousands of dollars while athletes from states that aren’t big sports fans could only earn hundreds of dollars.

   But the new rule doesn’t just help the athletes. Local businesses like car dealerships could sponsor local athletes and in turn, promote their own business.

   In 2021, college sports will hopefully take a turn for the better. College athletes could earn money and as a result, they will finally be able to be rewarded for their dedication and hard work.