The relationship between big money, college athletes, and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has been a complex and often controversial subject. The NCAA has long maintained a stance of amateurism among its athletes, effectively barring them from profiting off their personal brand and performance while the organization itself has raked in significant revenue from college sports. Over the years, however, there have been significant changes and challenges to this policy. Here is a timeline of key events that have shaped the current landscape:

– 1906: The Intercollegate Athletic Association of the United States (IAAUS), which will later be known as the NCAA, is founded to regulate college sports after football-related deaths prompt concern.

– 1951: The NCAA adopts the “Sanity Code,” which allows for some financial aid for athletes but maintains strict amateurism rules.

– 1960s-1970s: The NCAA faces challenges over broadcast rights for football games, leading to changes in how revenue is distributed among schools.

– 1984: The Supreme Court rules in NCAA v. Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma that the NCAA’s television plan violates antitrust laws, allowing schools and conferences to negotiate their own TV deals.

– 1990s: The birth of big-money TV contracts changes the financial landscape of college sports.

– 2000s: Financial inequities become more visible as coaches’ salaries skyrocket while athlete compensation remains tethered by amateurism rules.

– 2014: In O’Bannon v. NCAA, former and current players challenge the NCAA’s use of athletes’ images for commercial purposes without compensation.

– 2015: The Power Five conferences win autonomy from the NCAA to create their own rules around scholarships and benefits for athletes.

– 2019: California passes the Fair Pay to Play Act, which will allow college athletes in the state to profit from their name, image, and likeness starting in 2023.

– 2021: The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously affirms a lower court’s decision in NCAA v. Alston that the NCAA cannot place limits on education-related benefits that colleges can provide to athletes.

The rulings in 2021, particularly by the Supreme Court, have marked a new era where student-athletes can benefit financially from their talents while maintaining their collegiate athletic eligibility. This shift represents a major change in how college sports operate and opens up opportunities for student-athletes that extend far beyond tuition scholarships – it’s a reallocation of power from institutions to individuals that underscores an evolving perspective on what it means to be an amateur athlete in a multimillion-dollar industry.

The future may bring further changes as Congress contemplates national legislation regarding athlete compensation and as more states create laws similar to California’s Fair Pay to Speak Act. These developments are not only affecting current and future college athletes but also reshaping the entirety of collegiate athletics governance and its longstanding traditions.