The intercollegiate athletics community is digesting the Supreme Court ruling that rejected restrictions on compensating student athletes.
Monday’s unanimous decision was a setback for the National Collegiate Athletic Association, which opposed payments it says put the athletes’ amateur status at risk. This comes as college sports bring in billions of dollars through TV deals and ticket sales.
Experts are now studying the highly anticipated ruling, which upheld those of lower courts. It 0 found the NCAA was violating antitrust law by placing limits on education-related benefits that athletes can receive.
"You think about the amount of money that is invested in the March Madness basketball tournament, putting that on television and the advertising that is sold," said UNLV Professor Nancy Lough, coordinator of its Intercollegiate and Professional Sports Management program. "All of those are really big-dollar figures that then are allocated more directly to those who are in power as opposed to the student athletes."
At UNLV, a new program — The Vegas Effect — teaches student athletes how to leverage their personal brands, including name image and likeness.
"What they're trying to do here is create a program that will provide the education and the access for those student athletes who actually have the opportunity to gain from their name, image, and likeness," she told State of Nevada.
Las Vegas sportswriter Alan Snell, who runs the LVSportsBiz.com website, said the ruling might help UNLV recruit higher-quality athletes to flashy Las Vegas.
"You might have athletes who might want to come here because they can brand themselves and fit into a highly competitive, high-profile sports market," he said.
Nancy Lough, professor, and coordinator of the Intercollegiate and Professional Sports Management program, UNLV; Alan Snel, founder and writer, LVSportsBiz.com
