Judge Rules NCAA Ban on Student-Athlete Compensation Violates Antitrust Law

On Friday, August 8, 2014, the Northern District of California determined that the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA's) rules banning student-athletes for being compensated for the use of their names, images and likenesses violated antitrust laws.  In re Student-Athlete Name & Likeness Licensing Litigation, case number 4:90-cv-01967.  During the three week-long bench trial in June 2014, the student athletes argued that the NCAA and its member schools and conferences conspired to fix compensation for the use of athletes' likenesses at zero.  The NCAA countered by contending that not paying athletes stopped some schools from being able to compensate students more than others, that athletes received benefits, such as an education and room and board, for playing college sports, that the rule protected these students' amateur status, that paying athletes would cause tension with non-athlete classmates, and that fans would not watch college sports if athletes