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Alex Harper • Oct 8, 2026 California’s college athletes will soon be allowed to make money via sponsorships at collegiate level. The governor of the Golden State is intent on making this into a reality. Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a “Pay to Play” bill which seeks amongst other things to protect college athletes against what he describes as a “bankrupt model”. California’s step towards this new era will no doubt lead to other states following suit. For the first time in a long time National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) will have some revolutionary changes. What does this new Senate Bill propose for college athletes? Follow along as we unpack what the governor’s reasons are behind this iconic bill.
“Pay to Play” Senate Bill
the “Pay to Play” Senate Bill 206 (SB 206), signed into law this week by Newsom effectively allows college athletes to be able to monetize their brand. Players in the NCAA will finally be able to get paid by brands by virtue of being a college athlete. This is a ground-breaking move because this is something college sports players have never been able to do. Since the passing of this law they can individually get endorsement deals and make use of the value of their faces and names as money making brands.
The system has been largely exploitative of these college athletes, considering that everyone but them was allowed to make money of their brands except the players themselves. That is the imbalance that Governor Newsom sought to address by putting pen to paper to pass the “Pay to Play” Senate bill into law. The schools where these players go to have been making money via endorsements. Not only that, the NCAA as well has been making money of the college players.
Gavin Newson spoke of the imbalance in the whole NCAA and college sport system. He said, “Colleges reap billions from these student athletes’ sacrifices and success. But, in the same breath, block them from earning a single dollar. That’s a bankrupt model – one that puts institutions ahead of the students they are supposed to serve. It needs to be disrupted.”
This is just the beginning of changes in the world of college sport. Naturally other states will be following suit to avoid losing players to California schools. Keep following our news blogs for more stories like these.
