Supreme Court rules against NCAA in compensation case

The Supreme Court gave a unanimous ruling in favor of student-athletes in the NCAA on Monday.

The court agreed to hear the NCAA appeal of the antitrust case involving compensating athletes for playing college sports in December.

The NCAA and 11 top-level conferences had argued against paying players for use of their name, image and likeness (NIL), claiming it would alienate fans who were drawn by the amateur status of the athletes.

But Monday’s ruling affirms an earlier district court decision that said NCAA schools can pay for things like computers, study abroad scholarships, paid internships, musical instruments and miscellany related to academic pursuits. It does not clear the way for direct salaries for athletes.

Congress is reviewing and expected to craft NIL legislation in 2021, but several senators have pointed to late July as the target for initial drafts of any bill that would be sent to a vote.

In its August court filing urging the Supreme Court to take emergency action, the NCAA proposed legislation with direct congressional oversight be applied to all NIL cases.

NCAA president Mark Emmert issued a statement regarding the high court ruling.

“Even though the decision does not directly address name, image and likeness, the NCAA remains committed to supporting NIL benefits for student-athletes,” Emmert said. “Additionally, we remain committed to working with Congress to chart a path forward, which is a point the Supreme Court expressly stated in its ruling.”