By Gunner Young/campus editor

Senate Bill 209, or the “Fair pay to play act,” was passed by California lawmakers on Sept. 11. This bill, if approved, would allow college athletes to make a profit from their image, including things like jerseys and video games.

This should have been done a long time ago. It is time to treat college athletes like what they are, workers.

For years, college athletes have been pawns in the money machine that is NCAA sports. Nearly 20 million people tuned in to watch the most recent NCAA men’s basketball final between Virginia and Texas Tech, and it generated nearly $1 billion in ad revenue.

The NCAA fails to repay for the influence star athletes have. For example, when the former Duke star Zion Williamson’s Nike shoe broke during a game, Nike’s stock dropped.

This goes to show the influence and revenue that is generated by college athletes. Their biggest money-maker is college football, which generates more revenue than triple the amount made by men’s basketball.

College football is especially hard on student-athletes since the amount of physical abuse that they endure in their career goes pretty much uncompensated.

Some receive full-ride scholarships, but this seems like an extremely small price to pay for the billions of dollars these young people are generating.

College sports is a billion dollar industry, and the cogs that make the corporate machine move aren’t even allowed to profit from their own appearance.

The NCAA is actively trying to block the bill, claiming that schools in California will be the most sought after places for student-athletes to play.

Of course it will be. It is the only state that treats these student-athletes like workers, and rather than block the bill, the NCAA should work with the rest of the country on making this practice common among all college sports programs.