JUDY WOODRUFF: College athletics may be suspended right now, but when sports resume a more regular
routine, football and basketball remain big business, with billions of dollars at stake.
There has long been a debate over whether athletes should be compensated in some right,
or better able to access money made through these sports.
The NCAA opened the door to a significant change on that front today.
Amna Nawaz is here with more.
AMNA NAWAZ: Judy, the NCAA's Board of Governors will finally allow college athletes to earn
money from endorsements and to cash in on business made from their names, image and
likeness.
But schools and athletic conferences won't be a part of it, and there will be no pay-for-play
arrangement.
I'm joined now by Len Elmore, former college and NBA basketball player. He is also a member
of the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics, which supports the educational
mission of college sports.
Len Elmore, welcome the "NewsHour." Thanks for being with us.
And let's just start with the decision today. What was your reaction to this latest step
from the NCAA?
LEN ELMORE, Former Professional Basketball Player: Well, I was very pleased to see that
the NCAA is kind of ushering in a new era for college sports, I mean, in an era where
soon athletes can be treated fairly.
They will have an opportunity to be able to capitalize on their name, image and likeness,
which is a natural right. It's something that can't be abrogated by any administrative body.
And, certainly, if they want to give it an opportunity, they should be compensated.
It's different from pay for play.
AMNA NAWAZ: So, help us understand the details, because even the NCAA said this is uncharted
territory.
If a player, say, wants to do an autograph signing for money or gets a brand deal on
Instagram, that's OK. But does this mean Nike can now sponsor a college athlete, or a local
business in your college town can pay you to put you on a billboard?
LEN ELMORE: Well, I'm not sure that those details have been expressly fleshed out, but,
essentially, that's the idea, to be able to capitalize on who you are as a college athlete,
which was here to heretofore forbidden.
However, there are some guardrails to help keep athletes from being exploited, as well
as making sure that there's no under-the-table types of payments made.
For instance, institutions can't be involved in any endorsement deal, nor can they generate
an endorsement deal for student athletes. However, again, student athletes can't -- in
some instances, they can't represent sponsors that are already sponsoring the institution.
And, you know, that's where we have state laws that have been kind of inconsistent on
that front.
AMNA NAWAZ: So, institutions can't get in on the deal. But, for example, say there's,
you know, a college athlete who has already influence from an agent, right?
We know that there's corruption at every level, agents getting involved, even at the high
school level, in some cases, certainly at the college level.
Are you worried that this opens the door for even more exploitation from those influences
that are already part of the system?
LEN ELMORE: Well, I think allowing agents involved is something that the NCAA is still
discussing, the Board of Governors.
I personally don't believe that it's a good idea, for that very reason. They allow marketing
agents to help generate opportunities for student athletes, but then they say, you can't
be involved in pursuing professional opportunities.
Well, good luck with that, because, once agents are involved, they're going after the most
lucrative opportunities there are. And that would be in -- essentially from a pro opportunity
situation. And agents are very, very loath to let go of a client once they have a hold
of them.
AMNA NAWAZ: So, Len, the NCAA rules were put into place to prioritize education. But we
already know, in a lot of cases, especially with the top athletes, a lot of them go one
and done, right?
They use college to propel them into the pros. When you have big-dollar sports making millions
off these kids, what's the best argument you have for not just compensating them?
LEN ELMORE: Well, again, playing college sports is absolutely a privilege, not a right. And
there are many choices out there, if the intention is to make money for playing basketball.
And the increased interest in international sports, as well as playing in the G League,
the NBA's G League, provides more options for young people who go to college simply
to become eligible for the draft. And I think that it's a fair trade-off.
Once you sign on the dotted line to play college sports, you are now saying you're going to
play within the regulations that are provided. And if you don't want to do that, now you
have an opportunity to make a choice to go someplace else.
And, honestly, I think it's fair.
AMNA NAWAZ: That is Len Elmore of the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics joining
us tonight.
Thanks so much for being with us.
LEN ELMORE: My pleasure.