Decision opens door for more compensation challenges.
In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court sided with student athletes, ruling against the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) on the organization’s efforts to maintain limits on education-related compensation for the students.
The Court ruled that the NCAA’s curbs on non-cash payments to college athletes related to education—including benefits, such as computers, science equipment, and musical instruments—are anti-competitive under the Sherman Antitrust Act. The NCAA is the major governing body for intercollegiate sports in the U.S.
Other efforts by the NCAA have been weakened in its existing system of restrictions regarding student compensation, which is being challenged on multiple fronts. Although the case does not involve direct payment to athletes, the wider issue of player compensation has increasingly become a point of contention. College sports bring in billions of dollars in revenue. Student-athletes are also challenging rules against profit off their name, image, and likeness.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For the Supreme Court as the justices seek to protect competition and student non-cash compensation.
- For U.S. and collegiate officials as they debate the amateur status of college athletes in light of granting financial assistance in these areas.
- For the Justices as they choose which cases will be heard and for wisdom as they issue rulings.
Sources: Reuters, SCOTUS blog
