As college sports start for the semester, this is the first year athletes will can be paid to play — but not just from the university.

A long, hard-fought battle between the NCAA and its players has come under controversy over the past few years, and it seems like it is over, at least for now.

Current and former college athletes have been fighting for a salary since they compete at a high level without being rewarded for their efforts and what they individually bring to their schools’ programs.

An in June, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled in favor of the athletes and forced the universities to fork over compensation for “educational purposes only.”

This was all because the NCAA and its universities have been cashing in on millions of dollars by taking a cut of TV contracts and raising ticket and jersey prices.

According to Terence Moore from Forbes, the deal between CBS and the NCAA is close to a billion dollars each year when the March Madness men’s basketball tournament is aired.

Many players haven’t been able to make an income because playing college sports is their job, and there have been rules implemented by the NCAA to not pay the athletes based off of their performances or brand.

The arguments were reignited this past summer, and the rules are slowly beginning to diminish.

The NCAA Board of Directors announced on July 6 that any athlete can promote and make money based off of their name, image or likeness through third-party deals.

This means players can earn money off their following and influence on different social media platforms.

They can also partner with different companies or brands and promote them or the products they sell on social networks or collaborate on other opportunities presented to them.

Other media opportunities, like autograph signings and selling merchandise for various companies, add to the limited possibilities students can earn money through while playing.

As of right now, there is no limit to how much an athlete can be paid as long as they file taxes properly with help offered by people who work in financial compliance at their individual schools.

This is currently the only way student athletes can be paid for playing college sports, since there is still skepticism from the NCAA and others that the general persona of a college athlete is that they are still labeled “amateurs” and most earn athletic scholarships.

Even though students cannot be paid outright from their colleges and universities because the NCAA has outlawed this opportunity, this is only the start of something big in college sports.