\"It helps athletes like me who don’t have a pro league to look forward to in the future, and athletes that are not mainstream athletes,\" former UCLA gymnast Katelyn Ohashi told \"Good Morning America\" in an exclusive interview following the vote.

Ohashi, whose perfect 10 on a floor routine made her an Internet star, has become a vocal advocate for revamping the NCAA's financial rules.

\"(There are) players whose jerseys are still getting sold in their school stores, and they never see the money even if it's 10 years after they graduated,\" Ohashi told \"GMA.\" \"That’s really important to look at: all the things we created and left as our legacy, we will never get the benefits from.\"

The board's action Tuesday was based on \"comprehensive recommendations\" from the NCAA Board of Governors Federal and State Legislation Working Group, which is composed of university presidents, commissioners, athletic directors, administrators and student-athletes.

\"PHOTO:
Aaron M. Sprecher/AP, FILE
PHOTO: An athlete stands near an NCAA logo during a softball game in Beaumont, Texas, April 19, 2019.
>

The board emphasized that college athletes can profit from their image and likeness \"in a manner consistent with the collegiate model.\"

NCAA President Mark Emmert said the board's decision will \"ensure fairness and a level playing field\" for student-athletes.

\"The board's action today creates a path to enhance opportunities for student-athletes while ensuring they compete against students and not professionals,\" Emmert said in a statement.

Earlier this year in a letter to the California State Assembly, Emmert had warned of severe consequences for the state's colleges and universities for passing such legislation, threatening to prohibit athletic teams from participating in NCAA championships.

But the California Assembly went on to overwhelmingly passed the legislation, a move that was praised by NBA star LeBron James.

Everyone is California- call your politicians and tell them to support SB 206! This law is a GAME CHANGER. College athletes can responsibly get paid for what they do and the billions they create.

— LeBron James (@KingJames) September 5, 2019

\"Colleges reap billions from student-athletes but block them from earning a single dollar. That’s a bankrupt model,\" Newsom tweeted on the day he announced he had signed the legislation.

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