Supreme Court Justices Side With Student Athletes in the NCAA Unanimously

The Supreme Court sided with student athletes in the NCAA yesterday. The justices unanimously ruled in favor of a group of athletes that sued the NCAA for violation of antitrust laws. Currently the NCAA allows schools to pay for expenses related to education like tuition and books but student athletes don’t receive any of the revenue made from ticket sales, television contracts and team merchandise. The Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling that the NCAA must also permit the athletes to receive unlimited non cash education benefits including post eligibility internships.

The NCAA argued that spending caps were necessary to preserve the distinction between amateur and professional sports. But, Justice Brett Kavanaugh said “nowhere else in America can businesses get away with such actions.” And added “under ordinary principles of antitrust law, it is not evident why college sports should be any different. The NCAA is not above the law.”