Bass, Berry & Sims attorney Audrey Anderson shared her insight with CNN, Inside Higher Ed and the Bloomberg Law Podcast about the possibly precedent setting case involving whether student-athletes at colleges and universities may receive certain compensation. The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case on March 31. The student-athletes claim certain National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) rules preventing payment to student athletes violate antitrust laws and that athletic conferences benefit financially from the student-athletes. The NCAA argues payment to student-athletes would blur the lines between amateur and professional athletes and could lead to questionable spending on items not related to education, as the current rules stipulate.
“Some of the athletes are already getting something when their team wins for playing well, and the district court found that allowing them to get similar cash awards for academic achievements or unlimited benefits related to their education won’t change the market for the product,” Audrey explained for the CNN article.
The full articles are available online and linked below:
- “Supreme Court Hears Battle Over Paying NCAA Student-Athletes,” CNN (March 31, 2021)
- “Supreme Court Hears Arguments For and Against Athlete Pay,” Inside Higher Ed (April 1, 2021)
- “NCAA Fight Over Athlete Compensation is Toss-Up,” Bloomberg Law Podcast (April 3, 2021)
Audrey outlined the case in further detail following the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit decision and the oral arguments before the Supreme Court. You can read those articles here: