Every business would love to have a dream that brings in millions of dollars.

 

A dream team that is so successful that it puts your business name up in lights.

 

If you had such a dream team, you would do everything possible to share your success with them. Big salaries, bonuses, promotions, the works.

 

But wait – there is an organization (a nonprofit no less) that has not one, but dozens of these dream teams. In fact, these dream teams brought in $ 1.1 billion in 2017.

 

So what do the members of these dream teams get in return?

 

Let’s see – they don’t get paid, they are prohibited from earning any money because of their success, and, if they get injured on the job, they are thrown to the curb. And the very few, only 2%, who survive the rigors of the campaigns will go on to careers in their chosen professions. One where the chances of success are low, and the attrition rate is high. 

 

This is the model that has been in effect as long as the NCAA has been around. But this is all about to change.

 

In late September of this year, the State of California passed the "Fair Pay to Play" act - and the apple cart was officially over turned.

 

"Collegiate student athletes put everything on the line -- their physical health, future career prospects and years of their lives to compete," said California Gov. Newsom on "The Shop." "Colleges reap billions from these student athletes' sacrifices and success but, in the same breath, block them from earning a single dollar. That's a bankrupt model -- one that puts institutions ahead of the students they are supposed to serve. It needs to be disrupted."

 

LeBron James, one of the biggest names in sports, and a big advocate of pay to play, stated "This is a game changer for student athletes and for equity in sports," said James. "Athletes at every level deserve to be empowered and to be fairly compensated for their work, especially in a system where so many are profiting off of their talents."

 

In an interesting development, Sen. Richard Burr, a North Carolina Republican, tweeted that athletes who make money for endorsements and other such means should be taxed on their scholarships. This will be a fascinating side show to the whole affair, to be sure.

 

"If college athletes are going to make money off their likenesses while in school, their scholarships should be treated like income," he wrote. "I'll be introducing legislation that subjects scholarships given to athletes who choose to 'cash in' to income taxes."

 

Sen. Burr aside, this is a big deal in world of sports. How it all rolls out in the next few years should be pretty interesting.

 

But, let's get back to your dream team. Do you have one? If not, why not? If you can hire the best in your field, wouldn't it be worth it? How can you expect to compete against the big guys if you don't have the best on your team?

 

And, if you do have your dream team, what are you doing to keep them? Maybe you can't pay top dollar, but you can probably come close. There are other incentives you can bring to the table.

 

If you don't yet have your own dream team, not to worry. Our professionals at Available Staffing Network can recruit one for you. If you do have your team, and you want to keep them, we can show you how.

 

Give us a call and let us help you compete with the big boys.