This legislation is backed by the National College Players Association, a Los Angeles-based organization headed by former UCLA Bruin Ramogi Huma that has grown to 14,000 members, thanks to the rise of social media and an Internet-driven recruitment strategy. About half the members are current athletes, representing 150 Division I programs.
Their activism cuts to the core of a debate that has roiled college sports since the NCAA was created more than a century ago: Is a mostly free education sufficient compensation for a commitment to athletics or do students who generate millions for their schools and coaches deserve more – from "pay for play" compensation to more basic legal protections in the workplace?
by Libby Sander, on
The Players blog (from The Chronicle of Higher Education)
Earlier this year, we reported on a bill in the California Legislature that sought to change how college coaches recruited athletes in that state. On Thursday evening, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law the measure, known as the Student-Athletes' Right to Know Act.
The new law requires coaches who recruit in California to disclose, among other things, institutional and NCAA policies on medical expenses, scholarship renewals, and transfers for athletes. Supporters of the measure say it will help athletes and their families better understand the implications of accepting an athletics scholarship—and will hold universities accountable for the promises their coaches make.
"This law is a milestone in college athletes' struggle to secure basic protections," Ramogi Huma, president of the National College Players Association, an advocacy group of current and former Division I athletes, said in an e-mail today. "This is only the beginning. We will take this fight to other states next year."