N.C.A.A. leaders on Monday endorsed a plan to let college athletes make money off their personal renown as soon as this Thursday. The move, one of the last steps toward a groundbreaking shift in the philosophical and financial underpinnings of college sports, comes just before new state laws challenging longstanding N.C.A.A. rules take effect.
Although athletics executives acted under severe political pressure and settled on their approach only after the Supreme Court last week left the N.C.A.A. made vulnerable to antitrust challenges, the interim guidelines are poised to offer coast-to-coast clearance for students to earn money through autograph signings, personal appearances, endorsements, social media and other kinds of deals.