Amateurism.

What does it mean and why is it important?

For a long time, it was the central concept in collegiate sports, the sacred virtue of student athletics. Now it appears, all that rhetoric may change.

A circuit court judge in California recently declared that the NCAA, the ruling body of premiere college athletics, has to start letting colleges pay its players.

Universities are currently allowed to use the likenesses of players and sell jerseys of players who perform well, all with the players receiving no monetary compensation.

These students had no way to make money, but if a family friend or an extended family member gave them money it would be an NCAA violation. The players received $0 in money for things not provided by scholarships.

The judges’ ruling only made it possible for schools in the power five conferences to be able to offer players monetary compensation for their services. Schools in the Big 10, Pac 12, Big 12, ACC and SEC will now be able to offer players $2,000 to $5,000.

Schools will also be allowed to ease restrictions on players’ contact with family members and agents. In this new landscape, it may seem like the power five conferences have a clear cut recruiting advantage.

Schools only have a limited number of athletic scholarships, so every student who wants to go to a power five school can’t, preserving the parity that is such a key part of college sports.