The Professional Collegiate League will "serve as a kind of experiment when it begins play" in summer '21, with the upstart league looking to "sign elite prep basketball players who don’t want their compensation limited" by the NCAA, according to Michael Cunningham of the ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION. The PCL will pay athletes "salaries of $50,000 to $150,000 along with scholarships for two- and four-year colleges or technical schools near where they play." The summer schedule "means that PCL players, unlike their NCAA counterparts, won’t have to miss a lot of classes to do their jobs." PCL players "will have full rights to their name, image and likeness as well as opportunities for group licensing." They also will "receive disability insurance and financial literary education." CEO Ricky Volante said that outside groups have told him that they will "approach PCL players about forming a labor union, which he welcomes." Cunningham writes the league is a "money-making venture with investors who expect a return." Volante’s group is "betting there’s a viable market for summer basketball games featuring elite, young players who aren’t affiliated with colleges or universities." The PCL had "planned to begin play this summer in eight cities, including Atlanta, before deciding to delay by a year." Volante said that the decision has "cut the PCL’s expected operating costs for the season" from $20M-$25M to about $14M (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 6/20).
