NCAA Antitrust Settlement Paves Way for College Athlete Compensation
The Facts
The US National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has reached a settlement with students that would see schools share revenue with athletes and pay $2.8B in damages to current and former players.
The NCAA has historically opposed efforts to compensate athletes, citing their amateur status. This antitrust lawsuit, House v. NCAA, would make colleges share 22% of their revenue with players.
The Spin
Narrative A
College athletes have always been compensated in the form of scholarships and education. This move will end the NCAA as we know it, as big schools will now have the money to dominate their competition. Furthermore, schools will have to abandon many less popular sports like swimming and golf to feed basketball and football budgets, robbing many of the opportunity to play. Students lose in this wrongheaded move, which will only benefit the top players.
Narrative B
Colleges have earned untold billions on the backs of uncompensated players. Student-athletes put tremendous work into their careers and are professionals in all but name, with the NCAA's specious amateur argument falling flat. If it weren't for these star players, there would be no lucrative television deals or merchandise deals, which is why athletes deserve a fair share of that money like any other employee would.