Bernie Sanders joins LeBron James in support of bill allowing college athletes to be paid
A bill is pending vote in the California state assembly that could result in thousands of NCAA athletes being able to profit from their talents, and it now has two very notable supporters.
Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James tweeted a call to action Thursday in support of California SB 206, which would forbid colleges in the state from preventing student athletes from receiving compensation for use of their name, image or likeness.
Everyone is California- call your politicians and tell them to support SB 206! This law is a GAME CHANGER. College athletes can responsibly get paid for what they do and the billions they create.
— LeBron James (@KingJames) September 5, 2019
A day later, Vermont Sen. and presidential candidate Bernie Sanders quote tweeted James with a simple message: “College athletes are workers. Pay them.”
College athletes are workers. Pay them. https://t.co/PNEefTbS2O
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) September 6, 2019
Per the U.S. News and World Report, this is surprisingly the first time Sanders has weighed in on the divisive matter of paying college athletes. However, his stance probably shouldn’t be surprising to those familiar with his record.
The NCAA has made quite clear what it thinks about SB 206, having previously threatened to ban all California schools from national championships. California schools like Stanford aren’t very thrilled about the idea, either.
The bill has already passed through the California state senate by an overwhelming 31-5 vote, but could face a harder time in the assembly and on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk. Politico reports that James only tweeted about the legislation in the first place because of worries that university lobbyists are closer to convincing Newsom not to sign the bill.
More from Yahoo Sports:
