Antitrust Enforcers Target Another NCCA Rule

Government suit: Limiting athletes from changing schools unreasonably restrains competition.

Under the current rules of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA), college athletes who transfer from one university to another more than once are ineligible to play for a full season. According to a suit initiated by a group of states, the rule violates Section 1 of the Sherman Antitrust Act. The enforcement authorities say the rule unreasonably restrains competition in the markets for athletic services in men's and women's Division I basketball and Football Bowl Subdivision football, as well as for athletic services in all other men's and women's Division I sports. By deterring transfers, the rule also limits players' educational opportunities, the plaintiffs maintain (Ohio, et al. v. NCAA, No. 1:23-cv-00100-JPB, N.D. W.V., Clarksburg Div.).