The controversial NCAA lawsuit. What is it and what are the repercussions?
Prior to the NIL deals and the social media fame that athletes could monopolize and earn a living from, collegiate athletes were denied the ability to make an income from their popularity. From the years 2016 to 2021, also considered as the pre-NIL era, the NCAA denied athletes the opportunity to earn an income from their name, image, and likeness with the argument against “pay by play” and in spirit to keep the amateurism in college sports.
The House v. NCAA lawsuit was brought about by a former swimmer for Arizona Grant House, and TCU/Oregon basketball player Sedona Prince in 2020. Despite the case beginning four years ago, the final approval hearing for the case is scheduled for April 7, 2025. With how the case is going, the impact of the results will start likely in the academic year 2025-2026.
So why does it matter to the student-athletes at Vestavia? The predicted results of the case have been repeated as a greater restriction in college roster numbers in exchange for more scholarships with higher value. Rather than distributing one hundred partial scholarships, only thirty full scholarships will be given, leaving no room other than the very best. Despite the excitement over the full scholarships rather than just partial scholarships, the limit on the roster numbers could change the scenery of collegiate athletics completely. In the statistics from the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, approximately 67% of American Olympic athletes were from the NCAA pipeline. Along with the statistic that 46% of NCAA athletes are walk-ons, the limited roster spots could also flip the stage for the national team as well. Numerous athletes who competed for the United States at the Olympics did not start at the top when their respective seasons first started. Limiting the number of athletes allowed per team would limit the potential of America’s future athletes.
In the world of Track & Field, the limited roster spots would make colleges rethink their recruited high school athletes, re-evaluating their value to the team in comparison to their upperclassmen who have already been on the team for a year or more. This goes with every other sport as well. In the world of swimming the roster spots are reported to be cut down from 30 to 22 by the SEC. The loss of those 8 spots per team would result in over 100 spots for the SEC swim teams being cut. Those removed spots were potential opportunities for the next greatest athlete.