The 360 gives you a variety of perspectives on today's top stories and debates.What's HappeningA bedrock principle that had shaped college sports for decades was suddenly removed at midnight on Thursday morning. The NCAA's new policy (NIL), which allowed athletes to make a profit from their name and image, was put into effect.The new policy allows hundreds of thousands of college athletes to earn money through endorsements, appearances, and social media shoutouts. The rules forbidding schools from directly paying athletes are in effect. Although the NCAA's sudden announcement of its new policy came less than eight hours before it was made active, it is a significant step in a long-running battle over amateur sports.The NCAA has long opposed athletes being able to profit from their fame, arguing that it would compromise the integrity of amateur sports. As college sports became a multibillion-dollar industry, with lucrative sponsorship deals, huge coaching salaries and massive TV deals, support for this system has slowly dwindled. Players received no of the revenue generated by the system. A few recent court cases, including one last week, have eroded the legal foundation that allowed the student-athlete model of success to continue for so long.The states were the final force that forced NCAA to alter its NIL policy. California was the first state to pass laws banning schools from penalizing athletes who accept endorsement cash. More than 12 other states followed suit in 2019. Many of these laws were in effect as of Thursday. This forced the NCAA to amend its rules to ensure that all athletes have the same rights.Why debate?Current and former college athletes were happy with the new rules. Commentators have also praised the NCAA for denying athletes the right to profit from their talent. They claim that the new rules will allow basketball and football stars to share in the millions of dollars they earn for their schools. Others argue that the greatest benefit of the new policy is its ability to allow athletes, such as gymnasts or women's sports stars, who don't have the chance to earn huge salaries at the professional level, to cash in when it suits them best.Continue the storySome opponents of the decision echo the NCAAs argument that players signing sponsorship deals could be a threat to what makes college sports unique. The rule changes and the patchwork laws that are being passed from one state to the next could cause chaos for athletes, schools, and businesses as they try to navigate this new environment. Although many of the NCAA's most ardent critics support the new rules they say it is only a partial solution to the ultimate goal of ending amateur sports altogether.Next stepsThe NCAA stated that it wants Congress to establish federal NIL standards for clarity at a national level. However, they have been stalled by partisan disagreements over what rights should be granted to athletes.PerspectivesThe new rules make an inequitable system more fairCollege sports will change forever. It will be a brave new world full of promise and opportunity for those athletes who have for generations provided the product with no profit.Chaos will result from poorly defined and fragmented rulesChaos engulfs this space as athletes make their long-awaited fortunes. Schools are trying to create policies. Compliance staffs are expecting to be overwhelmed. Agents are also offering six-figure advances for some NFL prospects, even though the legality of such offers is questionable. The worst part is that no one knows exactly who or how to enforce it.Any attempt to end the amateur sport model is futileNIL isn't close to a fair market value of major college football or mens basketball players. It doesn't take into account workers comp or long-term healthcare, which are still not considered. It doesn't address workers comp and long-term health care. I find it hard to celebrate the recent events as a watershed moment in college sports.College athletes should not be paidRegular students attend college, study hard and keep their grades up to retain scholarships. They don't whine about how they should get a kickback for the promotional photo of them at the library or the cover of the orientation-day booklet, photos that may show random students walking around campus. Regular students don't threaten to sue the school for using their image, their name, or God forbid, their likeness.For a long time, athletes have earned a cut of the income they generateIt's like this: Since 1984, there has been a dramatic change in revenue generation, in coach salaries, media rights deals, and in apparel deals. All that money went to the NCAA and its member institutions. It may seem like a drastic change now that NIL has been opened, but it is not. NIL is the same change the schools requested, but it's not.College athletes can now take advantage of the rules in new waysNIL provisions allow third parties to receive compensation and place the responsibility of earning any money on the athletes. This makes it possible for athletes to be exploited further and leaves their benefits unregulated. This makes it impossible for athletes to earn the full wages they deserve or to be considered employees.New rules could worsen the competitive imbalanceNIL rights require athletes to spend hours marketing themselves and sifting through competing offers. This could result in athletes spending hours marketing themselves and sifting through competing offers and opportunities.The greatest benefit for athletes and women in low-profile sports is for them to be the ones who are most likely to be female.NIL has been a topic of conversation that has centered largely on mens and womens basketball players. However, the discussion about NIL is not limited to these players.Do you have a topic in mind that The 360 should cover? Email your suggestions to The360@yahoonews.comContinue reading 360sPhoto illustration by Yahoo News; photos by Getty Images
