The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday ruled 9-0 in favor of the appellees in the Alston v. NCAA case, paving the way for college athletes to be financially compensated at market value for their name, image and likeness.
The decision delivered a swift blow to the NCAA’s power over the market and sided with a lower court ruling in the Northern District of California.
“The NCAA and its member colleges maintain important traditions that have become part of the fabric of America,” Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote in his opinion on the case. “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.