Endorsement cash for Gamecocks and Tigers? Bill allowing it soon headed to SC governor
South Carolina athletes will be able to accept pay for endorsement deals starting in July 2022 thanks to a bill soon headed to the governor’s desk for his signature.
On Wednesday, the House voted 103 to 15 to pass the bill, which calls for allowing college athletes to get paid for the use of their name, image and likeness. The bill is expected to receive a perfunctory third reading Thursday before being sent to Gov. Henry McMaster.
Asked later at a press conference whether he intends to sign the bill, McMaster did not say either way.
“I don’t know all the details about that. I will have to verify that. There are good questions in there,” he said.
Despite overwhelming support in the House, the bill had a rocky path toward passage in the Senate. It only passed the Senate by a margin of one vote. The thin Senate majority could spell trouble for the bill if the governor decides to veto it. Overriding a veto requires a two-thirds vote of members present and voting in each chamber.
The bill is part of a national movement to allow student-athletes, who drive millions of dollars in profit to their colleges, to make money on their own.
Proponents of the bill argue that it’s essential so that South Carolina colleges such as Clemson University and the University of South Carolina don’t lose their competitive edge when it comes to recruitment. They worry that if athletes cannot get paid for the use of their image in South Carolina, they may choose to go to school in a state that does allow them to profit.
Other states are ahead of the Palmetto State in allowing athletes to get paid. For example, Florida will allow the practice starting in July and California will allow it in 2023.
While allowing students to enter endorsement deals could help attract talented recruits to the state’s schools, colleges would not be allowed, under the bill, to line up endorsement deals as an incentive ahead of a recruit’s arrival. They would also be banned from paying students for their athletic performances.
House members had very little debate over the bill Wednesday.
S.C. Rep. Tim McGinnis, R-Horry, called on his colleagues to vote in favor of the bill so South Carolina doesn’t fall behind its neighboring states, who are also considering similar legislation.
“Its very crucial we get this passed,” McGinnis said. “It will get us on, no pun intended, an even playing field.”
McGinnis added that he hopes the state law is never needed and that a national standard is adopted before the bill goes into effect in 2022.
Federal legislation has been filed this year to allow student athletes to profit off of their names, images or likenesses. The bill in Congress would make it an enshrined right that could not be limited at all by the NCAA, the governing body of college sports.
The NCAA is also exploring making its own rule changes in an effort to find a national solution.
NCAA president Mark Emmert has come out against states creating a patchwork of laws, adding that he worries students will base their school choices on where they can get paid, ESPN reported. Florida’s and other states’ laws put pressure on the NCAA to quickly change their national regulations on player pay, ESPN reported.
The NCAA is expected to pass their own route for students to profit on their names, images and likenesses by August.
S.C. Rep. Justin Bamberg, D-Bamberg, called the bill’s passage “long overdue.” He said some members of theLegislature had been working for years to ensure college athletes could get paid for their craft.
“It’s a great day for kids in our state,” Bamberg said. “It’s a great day for our student athletes.”
In the Senate, some lawmakers argued that allowing student athletes to get paid ruins the amateur nature of college sports. Others argued that it could create division on teams as the star player attracts larger endorsement deals than some of their counterparts.
“The beauty of amateur athletics is you’re doing it for a season, a few seasons, you’re learning lessons in life,” S.C. Sen. Chip Campsen, R-Charleston, said on the Senate floor. “You’re doing it for the principle and the passion, not for the money.”
This story was originally published April 28, 2021 at 12:51 PM.
