Student-athletes are often at a disadvantage, some believe. While they may be attending college on athletic scholarships, colleges most often are making tons of money due to their presence at the school. Their images, names, performances have been used to raise money for colleges. So when the NCAA recently announced an end to the ban on “student-athletes” being compensated for the use of their name, image, and likeness, it was welcomed by many.
Many, except for Republican senator Richard Burr from North Carolina. In response to the NCAA announcement, Burr “proposed penalizing student-athletes who choose to earn money in the private sector by creating a tax on their scholarships,” The Bulwark reported.
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“If college athletes are going to make money off their likenesses while in school, their scholarships should be treated like income. I’ll be introducing legislation that subjects scholarships given to athletes who choose to ‘cash in’ to income taxes,” Burr tweeted.
California has also enacted a Fair Pay for Play law, which was supported by such professional athletes as Lebron James.
So why is Burr pushing for his tax penalty? Tim Miller wrote in The Bulwark that because the NCAA move and the California law benefits mainly people of color, “who make up a disproportionate share of the athletes in revenue sports.”
“But there’s more. Burr is playing to the conservative sports fan with student loan debt who didn’t have the ability to earn an athletic scholarship whose grievance is against “them”—the kids who are now getting greedy and trying to make a buck when they should be grateful just for this high-class education ‘we’re’ giving them,” Miller wrote.
