The Supreme Court has sided with athletes in the ongoing NCAA compensation dispute.
While Monday’s ruling does not offer athletes salaries, it does state that the NCAA cannot impose rules limiting education-related benefits to athletes. These benefits include tens of thousands of dollars for things including tutoring, study abroad, and internships.
Current NCAA rules declare that student-athletes cannot be paid, and the scholarship money offered by schools is capped at the cost of tuition. The NCAA had defended its regulations as needed to preserve the amateur nature of college sports. Moreover, they contended that a decision in favor of the athletes might blur the border between college and professional athletics, with universities attempting to entice talented athletes by paying thousands of dollars in education advantages.
Shawne Alston, a former West Virginia football player who helped launch the case, said that the NCAA’s regulations on education-related remuneration were unjust and violated federal antitrust laws designed to promote competition. The Supreme Court upheld a lower court finding prohibiting the NCAA from enforcing those restrictions.
As part of the ruling, the NCAA itself can’t prohibit colleges from offering additional education benefits to Division I basketball and football players. However, individual athletic conferences may still set limitations if they choose.
