NCAA student athlete compensation.

College student-athletes can now sell their name, image, and likeness to enterprises of all sizes. And it only took till 2021! Regardless of some people's discontent, this is a necessary sympathetic change for what is happening with workers in the economy as a whole.

This revelation will almost certainly result in a massive increase in the popularity of college sports. And with the extra income it is likely that student-athletes will remain in their programs for longer periods of time and compete more.

Money follows the opposite rules of gravity, accelerating to the top at a steady rate. It was past time for those at the bottom to receive some more benefits for their labor. NCAA student athletes are finally being paid what they are owed. At the end of the day, it's all about control, and big institutions want to be in charge of everything.

As a result of the Supreme Court's decision, programs may have to fundamentally rethink their strategy for operating their programs. Players may now earn enough money in college to forego professional sports in some cases. Playing in the NBA does not pay as well as other sports.

Some may disagree with my conclusions; however, you should disregard the critics. In the age of social media, sticking to the facts is the best way to engage in any debate. As with many aspects of life, appearance has a life of its own and does not reflect reality. The NCAA's portrayal of many players differs greatly from their reality.

The chance of college players playing professional sports is slim. Of all NCAA participants, less than 2% of basketball or football players will play in the NFL or NBA. The current change to the system will enable the “99%” of college players to capitalize off their likeness while in college.

And few draftees have long and lucrative playing careers. For example, 17 of the players selected in the 2018 NBA draft have already left the league.

The dominant class has always created hegemony through many institutions. It helps to control workers. Colleges and Universities in the United States have grown too large and represent the most sophisticated of private enterprises. However, they have been able to operate under the guise of helping students and being “non-profits.”

These are large institutions that want to control their students in the same way that any company does its employees. It does not want them to make deals with other companies or make money with other people while still working for them.

The NCAA regards its players as products and lower-level employees. And it does not want them at the negotiating table. Do you think other large companies want to see their employees get endorsement deals? No.

This will encourage many student athletes to stay in college because they will be able to reap the financial awards for their abilities. It will be better for the NCAA in the long run despite potentially causing them some financial troubles in the short-term.

The $15 movement as well as the Occupy Wall Street movement were both successful. Finally, they've made their way into athletics. Amazon and other corporations are now allowing blue-collar workers to start at 18 dollars an hour in some cases. There is a shift in engagement between individuals at the bottom of the hierarchy and those at the top of the hierarchy in this era.

Many employees are now earning more money than ever before. And this is beneficial to the economy. This occurred primarily through the use of the first amendment. It was critical the way the internet was critical in raising wages of those with college degrees.

Needless to say there is a lot of money in sports.The NBA and NFL together generate over $25 billion in revenue each year.But first, let's return to college sports. How much money does the average NCAA athlete create for the NCAA or their university? Almost all numbers would indicate that it far outweighs the cost of tuition and living expenses. Granted this is less true for college basketball and football.

Most schools that are great athletically are not exactly known for their academics. The University of Alabama has an acceptance rate of 83%. Many athletes through scholarships and financial aid could likely attend the same universities where they play.

This question is answered by the size of NCAA revenue. In 2019, the total athletics revenue reported by all NCAA athletics departments was over $19 billion. Over 95% of this was produced by Division 1 schools.

The NCAA alone currently earns roughly $800 million a year from the Division I men's basketball tournament, primarily through television deals. This does not include all of the other avenues and sports where the NCAA and university sports programs make money.

On any given year there are 68 teams competing in the tournament and therefore roughly 1000 players on those respective teams rosters. The NCAA Division 1 basketball tournament earns approximately a million dollars for each player on the roster of each participating team for the duration of the tournament.

It was time for those at the bottom of the sports athletic pyramid, aka college athletes who do not make it pro, to share in the wealth. Without economic progress, social progress is a waste. The federal minimum wage is still less than $8 per hour. It hasn't been raised in more than a decade.

Finally, student-athletes are getting to share in some of the wealth created from their labor.