Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Signs Athlete Likeness Bill

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Florida governor Ron DeSantis has officially signed a bill allowing student athletes to receive money for their likeness and images. DeSantis announced the news at the University of Miami today, and the bill will officially take place in July of 2021.

This is big news in college sports. Even though we have seen California governor Gavin Newsom sign a similar bill, theirs was not set to take place until 2023. Florida's coming two years earlier is going to force the NCAA to figure out how they're going to adjust their own bylaws that much sooner.

I don't buy the argument that this is going to create a situation where the blue bloods in college football and basketball get all the best players, mainly because that essentially already happens on the basis of the fact that they have the best coaches, best facilities, and best sponsorships. (You could also argue they also have the best systems to facilitate impermissible benefits.)

You can watch the governor's announcement of the news, shortly after the 20-minute mark in this video:








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Ryan Glasspiegel grew up in Connecticut, graduated from University of Wisconsin-Madison, and lives in Chicago. Before OutKick, he wrote for Sports Illustrated and The Big Lead. He enjoys expensive bourbon and cheap beer.