The fight for college athletes to be compensated faced a setback Wednesday, when a federal appeals court struck down part of a ruling that claimed college athletes have the right to be paid.
One of the major sticking points of the decision is the notion NCAA sports are more popular — and profitable for the NCAA — if the players involved are amateurs. In other words, big-time college sports would become less engaging to fans if they knew players were being paid. (Videos via ESPN, University of Oregon)
According to the judges who sided with the NCAA, the burden of proof fell on the plaintiff’s side, and they didn’t provide enough evidence to strike down that belief.
The decision is the latest chapter in a legal battle that started in 2009, when former UCLA star basketball player Ed O’Bannon filed an antitrust suit against the NCAA. (Video via ORAtv)
The suit claimed athletes like him should be compensated for the use of their likeness in things like TV broadcasts and video games. (Video via EA Sports)
The push to compensate athletes beyond granting them scholarships has been gaining momentum in recent years.ba
In 2014, a group of Northwestern football players, led by quarterback Kain Colter, petitioned the National Labor Relations Board, claiming they were employees of their university and had the right to unionize.
Though a regional branch of the NLRB sided with the players, their petition was later dismissed at the national level following an appeal from Northwestern University. (Video via Big Ten Network)
As for Wednesday's ruling, not everything the appeals court took a stand on went the way of the college sports establishment. The court said the NCAA will still be subject to antitrust laws moving forward, and there are more lawsuits against the NCAA working their way through the system. (Videos via University of Kansas, University of Maryland)
The ruling probably won’t be the last decision handed down in the O’Bannon case, which could go all the way to the Supreme Court before everything is settled. College sports fans will be watching closely.
This video includes images from Getty Images and Bensound / CC BY ND 3.0.
