The state of California will become the first to mandate financial protections for student athletes who suffer career-ending injuries in some of the state's top college sports programs. This comes as a result of a bill current Governor Jerry Brown signed Thursday.

Universities such as USC, UCLA, Cal, and Stanford gross over $10 million annually in sports media revenue, and SB1525 protects athletes at these schools.

Under this new law, the schools will have to give academic scholarships to students who lose their athletic scholarships if they are injured while playing their sport. Additionally, covering insurance deductibles and paying health care premiums for low-income athletes, among other provisions, are to be met.  

Furthermore, according to a report on CBS.com, the legislation requires the universities to pay future medical costs for on-the-field injuries. This is expected to provide student-athletes with the kind of guarantees that even some professional athletes don't receive currently.  

"Neither personal injury nor poverty should dim the dreams of a student-athlete pursuing a college degree, particularly when their performance has enriched their college," Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Los Angeles, said in a prepared statement.

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