Sen. Barickman is in favor of student athletes being paid for their name, image and likeness. | File Photo
Sen. Barickman is in favor of student athletes being paid for their name, image and likeness. | File Photo
On June 1, the Illinois General Assembly passed a bill to permit student athletes in Illinois to profit from their name, image and likeness. The bill received bipartisan support, passing the House 95 to 18 and passing in the Senate 56 to 2.
If the bill is signed student athletes would be allowed to have endorsement deals and hire agents, starting in July.
"College athletes are able to generate value in their names, images, and likenesses due to their hard work and skill," Illinois State Senator Jason Barickman told the Kankakee Times. "It’s only fair that they should be able to take part in the revenue that is generated from the value they have created."
Senator Barickman also believed that attitudes on the issue of compensation for student athletes had been in the process of changing for a long time.
"I think this idea is something that has been coming for a long time" said Senator Barickman. "The landscape of college athletics, especially the money involved, has significantly changed over the years. I think the fact that we were able to pass this legislation this year is a good sign that people are now ready for this concept."
Senator Barickman also discussed the impact the bill could have on future student athletes.
"I hope this creates a situation where athletes are able to fairly take part in some of the revenue that they help generate" said Senator Barickman "This could also have many peripheral benefits, such as potentially making it more appealing for college athletes to stay in school and earn their degrees. IN addition, this could be especially important to help athletes who are injured during their time in school."
Similar laws are scheduled to go into effect on July 1 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi and New Mexico. California was the first state to pass the law.
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