A wave of antitrust lawsuits in recent years against the National Collegiate Athletic Association has threatened the NCAA’s control over college sports and challenged the business models of major university athletics programs.
The NCAA prohibited athletes from making money from big time college sports until the 2021 unanimous Supreme Court decision Alston v. NCAA found that the association’s rules limits on education-related benefits like scholarships violate the Sherman Antitrust Act. The ruling opened the door to third-party name, image and likeness deals which now dominate the college sports landscape and permit the most high-profile athletes to cash in on seven-figure advertising contracts.