Supreme Court Rules NCAA Cannot Ban Education-Related Compensation for Student Athletes

The Supreme Court on Monday unanimously upheld a district court ruling that the NCAA’s restrictions on education-related benefits for college athletes violated antitrust law. Justice Neil Gorsuch, who wrote the unanimous decision, argued that while the “national debate” around student athlete compensation was “important,” the Supreme Court’s only job in this case was to determine whether the lower court had properly applied the law. Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote a more forceful concurring opinion, stating that “The NCAA's business model would be flatly illegal in almost any other industry in America.”

Coverage was mostly balanced on all sides, with many headlines saying the Supreme Court “sided” with athletes against the NCAA.