MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The crazy bills just keep coming from the Tennessee General Assembly - but there is one piece of legislation approved in both the House and Senate this week that makes perfect sense. It allows student athletes in Tennessee to earn money through branding their name and likeness. In other words, players can get paid for such things as sponsorships or from video games that use their image and likeness.
Key Republican leaders in the legislature – including Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally and state Senator Mike Bell – voted against the bill. And yet it passed in the House on Monday and the Senate Thursday.
Supporters, including Shelby County Republicans Brian Kelsey and Kevin Vaughan, argued the bill levels playing field – so to speak – with other states that have big time college sports programs – and have already passed similar legislation. They include Florida Georgia, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Alabama. All of them are states with schools in the Southeastern Conference and are rivals with the University of Tennessee and Vanderbilt.
Without the bill, UT and other schools – public and private – would be at a huge disadvantage in recruiting and retaining star players.
Big time college sports programs – particularly the head coaches, and the NCAA – makes hundreds of millions of dollars off these athletes through TV contracts, endorsements and other deals. And it’s only fair that the players start getting a slice of the pie. And that’s my point of view.