Peterson: How would this Iowa State basketball player use endorsement money? By paying for his mom to see him play

KANSAS CITY, Mo — College athletes' name, image and likeness endorsement money won’t come in time for Solomon Young to treat his mom with a trip to her first Iowa State basketball game in Ames.

By the time it could be as much a part of the college landscape as major programs reaping millions from lucrative TV agreements, Iowa State’s talented post player will hopefully be collecting a check elsewhere in basketball.

But that's the reality. The junior from Sacramento, California, could finish his career without the joy of looking up into a packed Hilton Coliseum crowd to see his adoring mom cheering his every move.

If athletes made money from endorsements now, a major chunk of Young's cut would go to his mother. These type of situations are not discussed enough, even as state and federal legislators increase the push for athletes to make real money while in college.

“It’d be great,” Young said during the Big 12 Conference's men’s basketball media day at the Sprint Center. “She hasn’t been to a game since I’ve been to Iowa State. I could definitely get her a plane ticket.”

But he can't. So right now, he must settle for his mother and family members driving nearly 600 miles (one way) to watch the Nov. 9 Iowa State-Oregon State game in Corvallis.

“She’ll be there,” Solomon said. “It’ll be the first time she’s ever seen me play college basketball in person.”

That’s where endorsement money could come in — if the NCAA eventually allows it. Already, California legislators have passed a Fair Pay To Play Act, which would allow college athletes in that state to collect money from endorsement deals without fear of losing NCAA eligibility or scholarships. The law goes into effect in January 2023, which allows other states time to figure out if they’ll do likewise.

“I’m on a working group, so I’m not at liberty to talk about our work, but I think that there is an obligation to think about the rules in ways that are reflective in modern circumstance,” Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby told The Register on Wednesday. “That probably means our policies change from time to time. On the other hand, I don’t think college athletics and the college model includes having professional athletics on our campus.

“There’s a place where you can do that and be compensated for it. For those that have that opportunity, they ought to consider whether they should go and take advantage of it.”

Schools provide athletes with scholarship and an additional monthly cost of attendance check. Some get by comfortably. Some don’t.

“It’s a complicated conversation, because basketball players and the football team are usually the money-makers at most schools, especially football,” said Tyrese Haliburton, who then talked about possible recruiting advantages for schools located in popular endorsement-deal locales.

“Now, when kids are making decisions on where they want to go, they’re going to make a decision more on where they can make the most money,” he said. “It’s a complicated process. I like what California did, but I think it can be handled a different way.

“In some shape, form or fashion, I think what you’re good at, you should benefit from that.”

Haliburton, a sophomore, isn’t likely to benefit from the idea, either.

“I’d probably use it on more stupid clothes, or send some money to my family,” he said. “Only a certain number of players in the country will be able to get universal endorsements."

It’s not complicated for Young.

“They make millions off of us,” he said of schools throughout the country. “I feel like it’d be fair for us to benefit. A lot of us don’t come from the same backgrounds. Some have more, and some have less. It would help us greatly.”

Bowlsby says more conversation is needed.  

“What you’ll see coming out of the discussion is a description of what constitutes the collegiate model, and how change can be affected without getting to the point where we have people appear to be in a pay to pay environment,” he said. “Whatever we do, has to fall short of pay for play or any sort of proxy of pay to play.

“We have a recruiting environment. You can’t have outside, third-party interests involved in the recruiting environment.”

Everyone recognizes implications that could result in a Wild West endorsement environment, where everything goes. This revolutionary concept requires open dialogue among NCAA administrators, school administrators and athletes.

“The California bill anticipates student-athletes being able to do whatever they want to with the name, image and likeness,” Bowlsby said. “In the recruiting environment we have, I don’t think that’s realistic.”

 Again, anything happens won’t happen in time for Solomon Young. At least he’ll hook up with his mother at the Oregon State game.

For now, anyway, that beats nothing, I guess.

Iowa State columnist Randy Peterson has been writing for the Des Moines Register for parts of five decades. Reach him at rpeterson@dmreg.com, 515-284-8132, and on Twitter at @RandyPete. No one covers the Cyclones like the Register. Subscribe today at Des Moines Register.com/Deal to make sure you never miss a moment.