[CTcard]

I remain baffled why there is any resistance to this.

That seems to be because you don't pay attention to the arguments from those providing resistance.

As far as I can see, the main concern is making competitive balance even worse than it currently is, perhaps much worse.

There are some sorts of "name and likeness" payments that are more or less independent of which program one joins and therefore will have relatively little impact on the competitive landscape. There are others very dependent upon particular schools and particular deals. As an example, any booster who wants to make sure Joe Five Star signs with Dear Old U (DOU) will simply arrange for Joe to come sign some autographs for whatever it is he and his buddies can pony up. That would presumably be perfectly legal, and a much more consistent and lucrative happening at Striving SEC U (SSU) than at say ... UMass.

Now it is entirely possible that is wrong; that there won't be a whole lot of boosters running "autograph sessions" - or that these won't actually sway many athletes.
More importantly, it may simply be that is a trade off that has to be made under pressure from the principle that anyone should control rights to their own selves.
But, it's pretty easy to know that is why some people are resistant to the idea.

[CTcard]

I remain baffled why there is any resistance to this.

That seems to be because you don't pay attention to the arguments from those providing resistance.

As far as I can see, the main concern is making competitive balance even worse than it currently is, perhaps much worse.

There are some sorts of "name and likeness" payments that are more or less independent of which program one joins and therefore will have relatively little impact on the competitive landscape. There are others very dependent upon particular schools and particular deals. As an example, any booster who wants to make sure Joe Five Star signs with Dear Old U (DOU) will simply arrange for Joe to come sign some autographs for whatever it is he and his buddies can pony up. That would presumably be perfectly legal, and a much more consistent and lucrative happening at Striving SEC U (SSU) than at say ... UMass.

Now it is entirely possible that is wrong; that there won't be a whole lot of boosters running "autograph sessions" - or that these won't actually sway many athletes.
More importantly, it may simply be that is a trade off that has to be made under pressure from the principle that anyone should control rights to their own selves.
But, it's pretty easy to know that is why some people are resistant to the idea.