”New York Collegiate Athletic Participation Compensation Act” gets amended

Following the lead of California, New York Assemblyman Kevin Parker has submitted the New York Collegiate Athletic Participation Compensation Act.

The bill was introduced in mid-September and has yet to find a place on the legislative calendar but is being reviewed by the committee.

The bill’s general idea as stated is “To prevent New York schools from taking away the scholarships or eligibility of any athlete making money from endorsements.” It also allows players to use an attorney or agent for business deals without punishment.”

But a couple of weeks ago it was amended:

• Each college shall establish an injured athlete fund to provide a student-athlete who suffers a career ending or long-term injury during a game or practice with compensation upon his or her graduation. The amount of such compensation shall be determined by the department. Such qualifying injury shall be verified by a health care provider.
• At the conclusion of each school year, each college shall take fifteen percent of the revenue earned from ticket sales to all athletic events and divide and pay such amount to all student-athletes.

The first item I think is a solid idea, and I believe Bull Run has put forth that idea in the past. That any student athlete who is hurt, or loses their scholarship for non academic reasons, be allowed to continue their studies at the university.

The genius of the California bill is that it left the NCAA and the colleges themselves out of the equation. There is not a leg for the NCAA or the member colleges to oppose the California legislation.

Even if they, the NCAA, didn’t like the California bill they have NO standing to oppose it.

But the second amendment would destroy mid major basketball, put more pressure on universities to drop “non-revenue” sports and basically eradicate any public university program in the state.

It’s a shame that amendment was added because I feel like you’re at a point where kid could start benefiting from their likeness, getting paid to participate in youth sports camps, and otherwise profiting off of their effort.

But once you tie pay from the school to ticket sales you destroy all the SUNY programs, including Buffalo, in hoops and in all “non revenue” sports.

Why play soccer for a top tier Akron Program, for example, when you could go play for Ohio State and make tons more money because people go to Ohio State football games?

Why should a school have more than the bear minimum number of sports when all that does is dilute the cash you can offer prospects in the top revenue sports?

Buffalo baseball, soccer, rowing and swimming got cut when the department had their budget cut and as a fan of those teams, that hurt.

How much more would it hurt if the school if they said “well, I mean how much money does Tennis really bring in,” “what about softball,” I mean if we cut those sports, we can use more of the ticket revenue on student-athletes in the big-name programs.

It is my position, and not necessarily that of all the Bull Run editors, that the second amendment to this bill will deprive young kids of the change to attend colleges on an athletic scholarship. In particular kids in non revenue sports, which is the bulk or women's scholarships.

It is also my position that this bill will crush mid-major athletic departments in any sports where one or two players can make a huge difference.

So while I’m a huge supporter of what California is doing, and of what many states are proposing I am vehemently against the New York bill as it currently stands.