Cabrini athletes react to new NCAA rule change

By David Hare
October 30, 2019

Photo of Cabrini Men’s Lacrosse player Jordan Krug in an NCAA tournament semifinal game against Salisbury University. The photo was taken by Kevin P. Tucker

Preparation, hard work and countless hours devoted to the game.  That is what student-athletes sacrifice when choosing to play the sport they love at the collegiate level.  But for years now, there has been one thing that has been missing for players: Being able to profit off of their hard work and dedication.

No matter what sport you play or what division you play in, there is one thing that is for sure.  Being a part of a collegiate team is a grueling and time-consuming activity.  With many hours spent committed to your sport, athletes have been wondering one thing. Why can’t they as athletes profit off of their image and likeness, while the universities they represent make money off of them?

On Tuesday, Oct. 29, this question was answered.  The NCAA’s governing board voted unanimously to allow its athletes to profit off of their image and likeness and in other various ways through sports.  Traditionally, the NCAA has been an organization that has restricted its players to make any money at all off of themselves.  This dramatic change in rules will be the start of a new era that collegiate sports are about to embark on.

Cabrini University as a school competes in NCAA Division III athletics.  The athletic department features division III players from all backgrounds who are surprised but excited about the new legislation that has been passed.

“I know division III sports are not as directly affected as much by the new rules as opposed to division 1 sports, but it is still exciting for athletes to be getting compensated for all the time they spend,” said Tom Ngo, a senior biology major and member of the swim team.

Tom Ngo, a senior biology major and member of the Cabrini swim team. Photo was taken by Cabrini University Athletic Department

The NCAA is the umbrella for all three college divisions and they are currently establishing laws by the division that will go into effect in the 2021 season.

Division I collegiate players primarily have a greater opportunity to make money through college sports. This is because their schools have more of an emphasis on athletics and they often times sell tickets to sporting events.  Although the rules do not exclude Division II and Division III athletes from getting compensated, players might find it tougher to benefit off of themselves due to the lack of interest.

This whole initiative was started when the California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a Fair Pay to Play Act in late September 2019.  This act would allow California NCAA athletes to be compensated for their time spent on the field and also have the ability to sign endorsement deals with major companies.

Photo of a national championship sign in front of the campus of Cabrini University. Photo taken by Inside Lacrosse

Immediately after signing the bill, the nation along with a lot of college coaches had mixed opinions.  The bill was causing mass chaos throughout college athletic departments and forcing the NCAA to formulate a response.

Finally, after a long month of controversy between the state of California and the NCAA, the NCAA responded with the unthinkable.  By allowing its players to benefit from their image and likeness, this opens up a whole new component of modern-day college sports that the nation is excited to see.

What does this mean for Cabrini’s athletic department?  Although the new rules will not be implemented right away this will still affect the athletic department and its players.  At Cabrini, lacrosse is a sport that annually sees interest amongst the student body and brings in revenue by selling apparel to fans

. “At the end of the day, we put a lot of work in and players deserve some compensation.  I’m all about the idea and believe that it will be beneficial for the hard-working athletes” said Tyler Strong, a freshman business management major and member of the lacrosse team.

Fresh off a national championship, Cabrini Lacrosse has been in the national spotlight for a while now.  It regularly gets attention from the student body and has pictures of its players dispersed all throughout the campus on signs, posters and even posters covering up the Cabrini entrance sign.

This brings into question whether or not players should be compensated for that based on their image and likeness being displayed throughout campus.  With the new rules, players will have a chance to make money off of their names and this opens us up into a new world of college sports.

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David Hare

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