Dive Brief:
- The NCAA asked for a 30-day extension on its deadline to file a petition to the Supreme Court appealing O’Bannon vs. NCAA, which deals with compensation of student athletes whose names, images, and likenesses are used for profit.
- CBS Sports reports the Ninth Circuit’s decision in the case was a mixed ruling for the NCAA, upholding a ruling that NCAA rules that restrict payments to players violates antitrust laws, but throwing out a lower court decision that would allow players to be paid up to $5,000 per year in deferred compensation.
- As attorneys on both sides of the case consider a Supreme Court appeal, they must think about what Justice Antonin Scalia’s death will mean for the decision and whether a new justice will take his place.
Dive Insight:
The NCAA case represents another attack on a lucrative college sports model. The Ninth Circuit Court struck down the precedent that said athletes must not be paid. While Northwestern University football players were not allowed to form a union last year, their case garnered national attention on the potential injustices for students in the model. The continuing negative effects of the paper class scandal at the University of North Carolina has not helped the furor.
CBS Sports reports the request for an extension seems to suggest the NCAA will petition the now-depleted Supreme Court to hear the case. The hope is that a Supreme Court ruling would clarify the impact of antitrust laws on the NCAA's actions and simplify future lawsuits on the topic. As the profitability of collegiate sports continues to grow, it is certain the number of student-athletes petitioning for a piece of the pie will continue to grow.