Abstract:

The topic of Pay-for-Play is something that has been widely explored and debated over the years due to the growth of the NCAA and the college athletics industry as a whole. Through both qualitative and quantitative research, expert interviews, and policy analysis, this paper goes in depth into the world of college athletics and the idea of compensating athletes for the product that they provide. A deep dive into scholarly work, review of current legislation that is in place, and interviews performed on both current and former professionals within the college athletics realm, conclusions surrounding this topic on next steps within the debate were able to be made. The California State Senate Bill that was passed in 2019, and is synthesized within this paper, should be the model that is used going forward for paying college athletes. This bill allows for the most effective and efficient solution to the disagreements that continue to be had between both sides of the debate, and would be a way to satisfy both parties involved while presenting the least amount of disadvantages or areas for controversy in the future.