The NCAA is liked by, well, no one. It’s a governing body that capitalizes disproportionately off of the unpaid labor of young athletes. In major money sports, the idea of the “student athlete” is largely a farce.
To that end, several states have now started drafting laws so that college players who qualify can make cash off of their own likeness. This seems like a pretty reasonable request, and of course the NCAA is going to mount a defense to it.
Meanwhile, LeBron James has come out and been a champion for a new law passed in California. Other states, like Florida, Colorado, Illinois, and New York are reportedly also considering similar laws.
Now we can add Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green to the list of players who believe the NCAA should step aside.
Speaking on CNN this week, Green called the NCAA “dictatorship” and that he thought it was odd the association was trying to fight state laws despite the fact that it doesn’t take money directly out of their pockets.
Green’s comments, which were strong and well planned out, are worth watching in full.
Via Twitter:
"The NCAA can go and make a ton of money off these student athletes — that's a dictatorship." Draymond Green, three-time NBA champion and Golden State Warriors power forward, reacts after California passes a law that allows college athletes to get paid. https://t.co/41ra18iFRn pic.twitter.com/R5T9Ma2nhI
— CNN (@CNN) October 2, 2019
Arguing about the NCAA’s viability typically plops us at this strange nexus in American discourse. Trapping student athletes in a system in which they cannot take advantage of the free market in a proportionate fashion is limiting in a way many proponents of the NCAA would never want levied against themselves.
The question is pretty simple: should people get paid what they’re worth? The answer, for most of us, is yes.
Green believes athletes should be able to profit off their likeness, and apparently many state legislatures agree.
