Money in the NCAA

Last month, college basketball fans from all over took part in the March Madness excitement.  College basketball is the most anticipated and viewed sport that most colleges have to offer. The athletes who are talented enough to have made the team become fan favorites, happening with individuals such as Lonzo Ball.  Those exceptional players can then get drafted to the professional league and earn big bucks. The loads of money generated from college basketball goes straight into the pockets of the coaches and colleges, not the players themselves.
This caused some tension in the league, with people saying it was unfair for these athletes to not get their share of money. Though it didn't seem fair to most, the league still maintained power and choice on the decisions made. To battle this, one of the most influential moments came from former basketball star, Edward O’Bannon. O’Bannon played basketball for UCLA and was a big part in their 1995 championship win. Upset with the set rules, he sued the league, arguing that players should get compensation from the advertisement of their name. He was later joined by Oscar Robertson and over 20 other plaintiffs.  Big name players generate more attention and more revenue. The NCAA organization would simply be benefiting from the exposure and popularity of the players. The league continued to stay firm in their beliefs, explaining how changing the conditions would go against the idea of amateurism in sports.
A final decision wasn’t made until 2014, with the court ruling the league was violating antitrust laws.  Judge Claudia Wilken ordered that colleges must provide expenses for tuition, living, etc. This would essentially be close to the amount they would make playing, all in an effort to even out the shares.


Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O%27Bannon_v._NCAA
https://www.loeb.com/en/insights/publications/2015/10/obannon-v-ncaa

Comments

  1. AnonymousApril 25, 2019 at 4:28 PM

    Interesting post, Aimee! I didn't know that colleges used not not pay athletes at all, not even paying for their tuition or other living expenses. Even though I still believe that college athletes deserve to see a cut of the millions of dollars they're earning for their respective schools, it's better now for them to at least get to attend university for free. I wonder if there are still some college athletes who are fighting for greater pay because they are, ultimately, the moneymakers in the realm of college athletics. In fact, after the recent ruling in Alston v. NCAA, the cap on the amount of scholarship money athletes can receive was removed. This means that they can be compensated beyond the prices of tuition and other costs in their educational funding, meaning they can receive more money.

    Source: https://www.vox.com/2019/3/10/18258945/ncaa-athletes-paid-court-ruling

    ReplyDelete

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