NCAA V. Alston: Student-Athletes Trounce NCAA, 9-0, in Supreme Antitrust Battle

By Gary J. Chester, Senior Writer For decades, some sports law scholars and economists have characterized the NCAA as an illegal cartel engaging in anticompetitive conduct that is unfair to student-athletes. On June 21, 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court confirmed those allegations. In a landmark 9-0 ruling in NCAA v. Alston, 594 U.S. ___ (2021), the Court held that the NCAA’s scheme to limit compensation to student-athletes in the name of amateurism violates section 1 of the Sherman Act. T