NCAA Antitrust Ruling Paves Steep Path for Certain Athlete Pay

College student athletes’ big U.S. Supreme Court victory against the NCAA opens a path to compensation, but future individual disputes will hardly be a slam dunk.

The Supreme Court unanimously held that the National Collegiate Athletic Association no longer can set limits on education-related compensation—like scholarships or school supplies—because it violates antitrust laws.

The narrow ruling sets the groundwork for future private lawsuits by individual athletes who are seeking other types of compensation or damages for lack of pay for prior athletic participation. But they must now meet a higher burden of proof to establish antitrust injury in court.

The ...