While we can’t honestly say that support from LeBron James was a reason why the “Fair Pay to Play” bill passed the California Assembly by a 72-0 vote, it definitely didn’t hurt. The California Assembly passed the bill on Monday night and now the bill, which will allow college athletes to make money off of their likeness, will go to California governor Gavin Newsom where he can either sign it into law or veto it.
If the law is passed, it could set up an unprecedented legal showdown with the NCAA. LeBron voiced his support for the bill last week, which was echoed by Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.
James, who famously skipped college basketball to go straight to the NBA out of high school in 2003, has made it a personal mission to use his platform to call out the hypocrisy of the NCAA. His most comprehensive effort at calling out the failures of the NCAA system is the documentary he executive produced for HBO entitled “Student Athlete,” which profiles a handful of athletes who were failed by the major college sports system in a variety of ways.
