June 10, 2014. Should college athletes get paid? A class-action lawsuit filed five years ago by former UCLA basketball star Ed O'Bannon against the NCAA was scheduled to commence trial yesterday in a California federal court. It would probably be an understatement to say the case will have a significant impact on the future of college sports. A good overview of the case can be found on USA Today’s website HERE.
The lawsuit challenges the NCAA’s rules which severely limit the compensation/benefits available to, in particular, college football and men's basketball student-athletes. According to the current NCAA rules, athletes cannot receive more than a scholarship to cover tuition, room/board, books and some fees. O’Bannon and the other plaintiffs argue the NCAA rules are illegal because, absent the NCAA's restraints, football and men's basketball players would be able to get more compensation from schools and/or other businesses for the use of their names, images and likenesses (in particular, on television and in video games). This will be a fun case to follow.
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