By ANTHONY ALI
STAFF WRITER
The NCPA, better known as the National College Players’ Association, is spearheading a class action lawsuit against the NCAA on behalf of all Division 1 men’s basketball players and all bowl subdivision football players. As part of the partial certification of Ed O’Bannon’s class action lawsuit, current college athletes can now challenge the NCAA for a portion of the revenue generated by broadcasting agreements. While many players are unaware of the fact that they are involved in a lawsuit they are the beneficiaries of this partial certification unless they choose to opt out of the class action.
Best known for championing causes such as long term health care benefits for athletes and guaranteed four year scholarships in favor of renewable one year scholarships, the NCPA is a nonprofit organization that fights for causes that they believe can help college athletes. Because it lacks the authority of a professional players’ union, the NCPA would not be able to negotiate in matters such as television rights, but still remains the closest thing that college athletes have to a players’ union. Kain Colter, quarterback for Northwestern University, is an active member in the organization.
“Obviously football, basketball, it’s been turned into a huge business and it brings in a lot of money to the NCAA and to these institutions,” Colter said. “It’s only right to help out, really, the employees who are bringing in this money.”
The NCPA, however, isn’t seeking large payouts similar to those received by athletes in the NBA or NFL. They are looking to set up an account for players into which this money would go. Based on their idea, the players would not be able to access the money until they graduate, effectively giving them a means with which they could pay off any debts they might have accrued and so forth.
Although this isn’t exactly a player’s union, it sets the groundwork for arbitration between players and the NCAA. Having acknowledged that scholarships don’t necessarily cover the full cost of college, Mark Emmert, the president of the NCAA, would be open to a settlement with the plaintiffs of this class action. With Ed O’Bannon’s initially proposed portion of 50% of all broadcasting and licensing revenues serving as the starting point, student-athletes could be in for a hefty increase in their financial standing. With a ruling forthcoming in June, it remains to be seen whether players will try to negotiate for a higher cut or if they will be coerced by the NCAA into accepting a smaller share. As the NCAA generates over 80% of their revenue coming from television and marketing rights fees ($705 million to be exact), and with a fourteen-year agreement in place with CBS and Turner Broadcasting in place for $10.8 billion, the NCAA is without doubt profiting from the talents of its’ players.
All that remains to be seen is a verdict. There is a chance that we could be seeing one sooner than June. The plaintiffs have filed for a motion to have a judge decide on their case with only the evidence that has already been presented. Should this motion pass, the players run the risk of losing the case without having presented more evidence or presenting old evidence more adequately. Yet, if the motion does pass and the players do prevail, we could be one step closer towards college athletes shedding their amateur status and gaining a near professional status.
