Entertainment & Sports
Jan. 13, 2026
Court losses mount for NCAA rules. What comes next?
A series of antitrust defeats has left the NCAA unable to enforce its own eligibility rules, fueling a bidding war for top athletes that threatens to destroy non-revenue sports programs. Federal legislation may be the only way to preserve college athletics.
John H. Minan
Emeritus Professor of Law
University of San Diego School of Law
Professor Minan is a former attorney with the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. and the former chairman of the San Diego Regional Water Quality Board.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)
traditionally has taken the view that athletes competing in college sports
should be amateurs and their participation should be motivated primarily by
education and not compensation. Article I of the NCAA's Constitution
aspires to retain a clear line of demarcation between amateur intercollegiate
athletics and professional sports.
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