The NCAA's petition to the Supreme Court in the Alston case has been granted. The Court will decide whether the NCAA's amateurism bylaws violate federal antitrust law. This is a step by the NCAA to preserve its rule against compensating athletes amidst emerging NIL legislation.

36-years ago the Supreme Court decided NCAA v. Board of Regents for the University of Oklahoma. In it, the Court ruled that an NCAA policy limiting on what network and how often schools could broadcast games on TV, along with what they could be paid, violated antitrust law.

One can point back to the Court's 1984 decision in NCAA v. Board of Regents to explain why the NCAA's amateurism model is legally threatened today. But for it, there wouldn't be multi-billion dollar television deals that have increased the salary for everyone...but the athletes.

NCAA v. Board of Regents opened the NCAA to a free market. It profited handsomely. Legislators want a free market for NCAA athletes' name, image and likeness rights. While lobbying Congress for an antitrust exemption, the NCAA will now see if the Court will preserve amateurism.