College athletes file a class action against the NCAA and the Power 5 conferences for restricting/preventing NIL rights.

07/01/20 • 33 min

College athletes recently filed a class action alleging the NCAA and the Power 5 conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, PAC-12 and SEC) are unjustly enriched and violating U.S. antitrust laws by restricting or preventing college athletes from receiving compensation for their name, image and likeness. Chris Dix discusses this new case with sports attorney Peter Goplerud, who is President of Florida Coastal School of Law in Jacksonville.

Previous Episode

Ricky Volante discusses his company’s efforts to create a paid alternative to college sports.

Ricky Volante, CEO and Co-Founder of the Professional Collegiate League (PCL), talks with Chris Dix about the PCL's efforts to create a paid alternative to college sports (starting with men's basketball) that prioritizes the economic and other rights of college athletes. The episode also includes analysis of the NCAA's recent efforts to change their rules to permit athletes to receive compensation for use of their name, image and likeness. The final segment discusses the potential for the PCL to address racial inequalities, particularly in collegiate sports.

Next Episode

What's going on with sports betting and student athlete compensation in the U.S.?

Despite the sudden shutdown and gradual reopening of sports around the world due to Covid, there has been a lot of news recently regarding sports betting and student athlete compensation in the U.S. Below are some of the highlights:

1. The NFL Players' Association is offering a new program to teach former NFL football players about the potential dangers of gambling addiction. A summary of the program is provided in the article linked below:

https://www.legalsportsreport.com/42792/former-nfl-players-responsible-gambling-education/

2. The Gambling Related Harm All Party Parliamentary Group published a 72-page report examining the online gambling industry in Great Britain and the possible harmful effects that online gambling can have on people, their families and their communities. One of the key recommendations is that there should be a ban on all gambling advertising, including shirts, league sponsors, pitchside ads and also in online games like FIFA.

Below are links to the report and an excellent analysis of the report by the Northridge firm:

Report: http://www.grh-appg.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Online-report-Final-June16-2020.pdf

Northridge Article: https://northridgelaw.com/potential-ban-on-gambling-advertising-in-great-britain/

3. The United States Senate Judiciary Committee conducted a hearing on Wednesday July 22, 2020 entitled "Protecting the Integrity of College Athletics." The hearing included testimony from Heather Lyke, athletic director at the University of Pittsburgh, who spoke on behalf of the University and Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), Bill Miller, president and chief executive of the American Gaming Association (AGA), and NCAA president Mark Emmert. Below is a link to a video of the hearing:

https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/meetings/protecting-the-integrity-of-college-athletics

4. The Power 5 Conferences of the NCAA (SEC, ACC, Big 10, Big 12 and Pac 12) are working on national legislation regarding compensation for student athletes. The full proposal is not yet available, but the idea generally is to standardize NIL rules across all 50 states, preempt any existing state legislation on the same subject (e.g., Florida, California and Colorado), and provide a safe harbor to the NCAA from any anti-trust litigation by student athletes.

5. #WeAreUnited College athletes from the PAC 12 conference recently published a letter in The Player's Tribune threatening to opt out of practice and game participation in the Fall semester unless their demands regarding athlete treatment, safety and racial justice were addressed by the PAC 12 Conference. In response, PAC 12 Commissioner Larry Scott said that he is "happy to discuss" the issues identified by the players.