Tim Tebow isn’t a fan of college athletes getting paid.
The State of California passed a bill known as the “Fair Pay to Play Act,” which allows student athletes in California colleges to receive financial compensation.
The Associated Press shared a succinct synopsis of what the bill would allow: “The bill would allow athletes at California schools to hire agents and be paid for the use of their name, image or likeness. It would stop universities and the NCAA from banning athletes that take the money.”
Tebow isn’t having it. He ranted for nearly two minutes about how college athletes getting paid is promoting a “me first” attitude. He made a big stink about how his Florida jersey when he was playing was among the top-selling in the world, but that he didn’t make a cent off it and didn’t want to.
Tebow said that players receiving financial compensation would take away what is “special about college football.”
Oh. Special, like how many student-athletes end up taking or selling stuff (and get in trouble with the NCAA) just to make ends meet? Or, special like young men oftentimes sacrificing the health of their bodies for zero money just for a chance at bettering their lives in the NFL. More often than not, they just end up with a broken body and no money.
Meanwhile, the NCAA is a money-gobbling machine that has become a billion-dollar-a-year-industry.
Tebow, of course, never experienced any of that. He was a superstar who didn’t want for anything at college and ended up being selected in the first round, making millions before busting out of the NFL.
Many who cover the sport of college football, which stands to benefit the most from bills such as this, have applauded California for being the first state to step up with this type of legislative effort. Now, other states are exploring options, two South Carolina legislators are hoping to push a similar bill in their state.
There is nothing wrong with allowing young men and women who entertain the masses, bringing in mountains of cash for their universities along the way, from enjoying a bit of fruit from their labor.