Didn't Northwestern University try to establish a student athlete union first? The timelines of the last decade have my recollections skewed.

https://www.lawinsport.com/topics/regulation-a-governance/item/college-athletes-players-association-v-northwestern-university

This attempt did nothing regarding NIL

HSEAG13 said:

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I would prefer for them to get a union, get a collective bargaining agreement, and then be held accountable for the contract they signed. If you desperately want a player that bad, you either trade an asset or pay up to "buy" the player. If you want to act like a pro league, do what pro leagues do.

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100%. I'll been screaming for a CBA since day one of NIL and the transfer portal, when it became abundantly obvious 1. This is professional, now and 2. This system would destroy the team continuity and modestly shared "college" experience that made college football feel more personal (and why I once loved it far, far more than the NFL).

Now? The pro teams and players literally have more connection with the organization and community than college teams.

Gavin Newsom played a pivotal role in the college Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) movement by signing California's "Fair Pay to Play Act" (SB 206) in 2019, making California the first state to allow student-athletes to profit from endorsements and brand deals, challenging the NCAA's amateurism model and sparking similar legislation nationwide, forcing a major shift in college sports compensation. This law, which went into effect in 2021, allows athletes at California schools to earn money without losing scholarships, setting a precedent that led to broader national changes in NIL policies.

correct. California got the ball rolling, initially set to start in 2023. Then florida passed a similar law that started in 2021. Texas others all followed. California moved their start date up.

summer 2021, supreme court rules against NCAA in Alston case; ncaa then loses just about every antitrust lawsuit brought (not on NIL); ncaa then sees the writing on the wall so settles the House case.

And gave Newsom another group to tax….. which really was the goal

I think the first significant domino to fall was the Ed O'Bannon lawsuit. He was a UCLA basketball star who couldn't last in the NBA. His lawsuit resulted in over a thousand players getting small ($200-ish) checks and the NCAA video games being discontinued. His whole case was based on his likeness being in the startup video on the NCAA basketball game, including a clip of him along with several other March Madness moments. Once the court decided that former players must be compensated for universities and the NCAA using their likeness, the wheels went into motion for current players to try and get paid.

didnt a nebraska qb file suit against ea?

https://www.espn.com/college-football/news/story?id=4151071

I was thinking about this the other day.
Would it have been so simple to apply the NIL rule to video games only? The kids weren't getting their NIL used anywhere else. Sure, it would preclude EA Sports from producing college oriented video games, but that seems like would have been too logical.