OT: NCAA loses in SCOTUS in a 9-0 decision [merged thread]

[Bama fan]

SCOTUS voted 9-0 against NCAA in case involving the granting of education related gifts to student athletes. Opinions indicate trouble for NCAA on compensation issues going forward.

 

[Sifaka]

To be clear, this was a narrowly defined antitrust case, but the vehemence of the decision was unusual.

“Nowhere else in America can businesses get away with agreeing not to pay their workers a fair market rate on the theory that their product is defined by not paying their workers a fair market rate. And under ordinary principles of antitrust law, it is not evident why college sports should be any different. The NCAA is not above the law,” Kavanaugh wrote.


“To the extent [the NCAA] means to propose a sort of judicially ordained immunity from the terms of the Sherman Act for its restraints of trade—that we should overlook its restrictions because they happen to fall at the intersection of higher education, sports, and money—we cannot agree,” Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote for the unanimous court.

Gorsuch's opinion is highly restrained in scope. Yet its reasoning contains some gems.

“The NCAA does not contest that its restraints affect interstate trade and commerce and are thus subject to the Sherman Act. See D. Ct. Op., at 1066. The NCAA acknowledges that this Court already analyzed (and struck down) some of its restraints as anticompetitive in Board of Regents. And it admits, as it must, that the Court did all this only after observing that the Sherman Act had already been applied to other nonprofit organizations—and that “the economic significance of the NCAA’s nonprofit character is questionable at best” given that “the NCAA and its member institutions are in fact organized to maximize revenues.” “

Emphasis added.

Finally, before anyone goes off half-cocked, assuming that this court ruling allows schools or conferences to pay athletes, the ruling very blatantly limits the decision to
benefits directly involving education, such as payment for graduate school tuition.
This ruling does not include any sort of salary or other monetary compensation such as that received by professional players.

It's only 45 pages. Please read at least the 2 page summary before jumping to conclusions. https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/20pdf/20-512_gfbh.pdf

 

[CocoHusky]

To be clear, this was a narrowly defined antitrust case, but the vehemence of the decision was unusual.

“Nowhere else in America can businesses get away with agreeing not to pay their workers a fair market rate on the theory that their product is defined by not paying their workers a fair market rate. And under ordinary principles of antitrust law, it is not evident why college sports should be any different. The NCAA is not above the law,” Kavanaugh wrote.


“To the extent [the NCAA] means to propose a sort of judicially ordained immunity from the terms of the Sherman Act for its restraints of trade—that we should overlook its restrictions because they happen to fall at the intersection of higher education, sports, and money—we cannot agree,” Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote for the unanimous court.

Ouch!

 

[visitingcock]

9-0 slam dunk.

This is going to reduce the NCAA to a tournament organizer only.

No wonder they seem to be pushing the football 12 team format.

 

[hoopsfan22]

How long until schools are just paying players directly?

 

[visitingcock]

How long until schools are just paying players directly?

minus 2 hours

 

[hoopsfan22]

minus 2 hours

That sucks because UConn doesn't have the money to compete with the $EC.

 

[visitingcock]

That sucks because UConn doesn't have the money to compete with the $EC.

Will football money be spent on women athletes?

One thing I like, The potential effect on baseball. Basically, schools can only give 11.5 scholarship while having a roster of @ 25 players. The players usually only got half scholarships and had to make up the difference with other scholarships or student grants and loans.

Most minority students couldn't afford to play college baseball. Instead, they chose to go to the minor leagues. NCAAbaseball was predominantly white. Now, the field is levelled

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Just earliest fragmentary report. Much more later today.

Supreme Court sides with student athletes, rules NCAA improperly capped education-related benefits

The Supreme Court ruled in a unanimous decision Monday that the NCAA has illegally restricted education-based benefits that could be used as compensation to student athletes.

www.foxnews.com

 

[Kaizen]

 

[LoboDays]

How long until schools are just paying players directly?

They already do. Lots of fathers driving around in Mercedes Benz.

 

[oldude]

We are literally 24 hrs away from the 2-day meeting of the NCAA Council when they are scheduled to vote on NIL legislation, and a little over a week away from the July 1 date when many states have authorized athletes to begin signing NIL contracts.

Most animals have an incredibly strong instinct towards self-preservation. In the next few days we will all learn if the NCAA has a similar instinct, or if they will go the way of the Woolly Mammoth.

 

[oldude]

9-0 slam dunk.

This is going to reduce the NCAA to a tournament organizer only.

No wonder they seem to be pushing the football 12 team format.

To be clear. The NCAA D1 Football playoffs are managed by the 10 FBS football conferences. The NCAA has nothing to do with them.

 

[Sifaka]

Most animals have an incredibly strong instinct towards self-preservation. In the next few days we will all learn if the NCAA has a similar instinct, or if they will go the way of the Woolly Mammoth.

My friends among the Wooly Mammoth community have stated unequivocally that they don't want Emmert polluting their gene pool.

 

[hoopsfan22]

We are literally 24 hrs away from the 2-day meeting of the NCAA Council when they are scheduled to vote on NIL legislation, and a little over a week away from the July 1 date when many states have authorized athletes to begin signing NIL contracts.

Most animals have an incredibly strong instinct towards self-preservation. In the next few days we will all learn if the NCAA has a similar instinct, or if they will go the way of the Woolly Mammoth.

Even if they choose Woolly Mammoth, what schools and tournaments would all those players play in 'cuz it won't be any place you find an NCAA logo.

 

[oldude]

Even if they choose Woolly Mammoth, what schools and tournaments would all those players play in 'cuz it won't be any place you find an NCAA logo.

The NCAA is not going to go to court to defend lawsuits from hundreds of athletes who will be backed by the resources of their respective state governments as well as their colleges and institutions. The case against NIL was resolved in 2014 (NCAA vs O’Bannon). The NCAA lost.

Since that time the NCAA, and the institutions they represent, have done everything possible to delay implementation of the inevitable. The time is now at hand for the NCAA to step up or fade into oblivion.

 

[LoboDays]

Emmett earns a 2.7 million salary plus who knows what else. The NCAA will fold as much as they have to before fading into oblivion.

 

[oldude]

Emmett earns a 2.7 million salary plus who knows what else. The NCAA will fold as much as they have to before fading into oblivion.

My point is that the NCAA will likely do what they have to in order to survive. Keep in mind that the NCAA is only doing exactly what their member institutions want them to do. The NCAA has effectively avoided compensating athletes for many years at the behest of the D1 member institutions the organization represents. In the end this isn’t about amateurism, competition or educational opportunities for student athletes. It’s all about $$$$$$$$.

 

[hoopsfan22]

Emmett earns a 2.7 million salary plus who knows what else. The NCAA will fold as much as they have to before fading into oblivion.

We shall see and hopefully it works out, but I have pretty much zero faith in the NCAA. Getting them to change is a bit like knocking over a refrigerator. As of right now, if any players make money from NIL the NCAA could do any one of: ban a program from play, disqualify said players, vacate wins and championships if those players participate, and/or take away scholarships among a host of other administrative penalties on the NCAA's menu. There's of course the caveat that a UNC has a 0.00000% chance of that applying to them, but for smaller mid-majors like UConn who aren't one of the darling golden goose programs I would not be as confident. Lawsuits might ensue, but by the time cases like that saw a courtroom, the players in question would be well into their pro careers.

 

[HopJim]

The key appears to be the NCAA's ability to reach a consensus, particularly among the schools in the big conferences. Each sport also has its own set of rules with football likely the key. No idea how this can happen.

To repeat some of the points already made, I am not aware that the recent court case had anything to do with schools making direct payments to athletes. Appeared to be tightly tied to "benefits" involving education, which was not fully defined. Seemed to be leading the NCAA to take action without mandating anything specfic.

While there are no court cases I am aware of related to the financial value of scholarships, it is possible for schools to reclassify the "benefit" of scholarships to meet some of the compensation guidelines noted by Kavanaugh. While this could help schools meet some of the legal issues, no idea how this could be administered.

 

[Alydar]

minus 2 hours

minus 100 years

 

[hoopsfan22]

Probably easier to just get rid of college sports at this point than continuing the charade of pretending these are anything but semi-pro athletes. If a free $200,000 education isn't enough, cool, go play in the D-league.

 

[augustaTC]

Emmett earns a 2.7 million salary plus who knows what else. The NCAA will fold as much as they have to before fading into oblivion.

Funny how hot messes seem to follow him around. Mediocrity personified.

 

[TheFarmFan]

You don't say.

 

[BRS24]

Enjoyed this part by Kavanaugh:
"To be sure, the NCAA and its member colleges maintain important traditions that have become part of the fabric of America—game days in Tuscaloosa and South Bend; the packed gyms in Storrs and Durham; the women’s and men’s lacrosse championships on Memorial Day weekend; track and field meets in Eugene; the spring softball and baseball World Series in Oklahoma City and Omaha; the list goes on. But those traditions alone cannot justify the NCAA’s decision to build a massive money-raising enterprise on the backs of student athletes who are not fairly compensated."