{"id":143737,"date":"2024-10-10T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-10-10T20:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/?p=143737"},"modified":"2024-10-10T11:48:07","modified_gmt":"2024-10-10T16:48:07","slug":"old-school-college-sports-are-on-the-way-out-what-comes-next","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/old-school-college-sports-are-on-the-way-out-what-comes-next\/","title":{"rendered":"Old-School College Sports Are on the Way Out. What Comes Next?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

UM professor co-authors book on game-changing issues in sports law<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

College sports are in the midst of dramatic change, and after a litany of lawsuits and appeals, fans are likely uncertain of the future of America’s favorite pastimes. A University of Mississippi<\/strong> professor’s latest book seeks to demystify the madness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

William Berry<\/strong>, associate dean for research and Montague Professor of Law<\/strong>, partnered with sports attorney and law professor Daniel Lust to write “College Sports Law in a Nutshell” (West Academic Publishing<\/strong>, 2024).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“There’s a lot going on in college sports right now,” Berry said. “These books are traditionally used as study aids for law students; they take complicated legal cases and describe them in a clear, straightforward way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“But this book is also going to be helpful for athletic administrators, athletes and anybody who wants to have an understanding of what’s going on in college sports.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

College sports are approaching what Lust called a “wild, wild West” era, where the rules that have governed university play are changing and no one quite knows what will happen next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The National Collegiate Athletic Association<\/strong> has overseen athletics programs at 1,100 colleges and universities for decades. But after recent litigation, the association seems to be taking a step back, Lust said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The NCAA used to be the sheriff, and they used to punish the school and athletes if they stepped out of line,” the New York<\/strong> professor said. “In the new era, it seems the NCAA is very concerned with committing an antitrust violation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“That term ‘wild, wild West’ is generally when there’s no sheriff in town. The NCAA has abdicated that role, and the schools are left to police themselves.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One major move in the world of college athletics is the push for players to be considered employees of their colleges and universities, a move the\u00a0National Labor Relations Board<\/strong> upheld in February.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This ruling opens not only the students’ ability to unionize but also makes them subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act<\/strong>. This would require them to be paid a minimum wage, given overtime pay and be offered health care and pension benefits, Berry said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If players of revenue-generating sports \u2013 primarily football and basketball \u2013 get paid a regular wage, that money must come from somewhere, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The other big piece of all this is that all the football money; it pays for all the nonrevenue sports,” Berry said. “And so those athletes probably will not get paid, but also those scholarships will start to dry up and disappear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We’ll have a lot fewer nonrevenue sports because we have to pay the players.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although\u00a0Title IX<\/strong> would protect some women’s sports<\/a>, this move could lead to many nonrevenue sports \u2013 such as tennis, golf, softball and soccer \u2013 being relegated to club status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This issue is just one of the many facing college athletics, Lust said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The NCAA is also facing several lawsuits, including House v. NCAA<\/a>, which appears to be moving toward a settlement<\/a>. It seeks billions in damages for thousands of players on the premise that the NCAA’s amateurism rules violate antitrust law. This law bars exclusive contracts that impair competition or restrict trade<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also at play is an ongoing push for players to receive a portion of the earnings made through televised sports, commercials and advertisements<\/a>, and a reconstruction on the rules surrounding name, image and likeness<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Professor Berry and I were trying to finish the book and huge things just kept happening,” Lust said. “There’s a lot of people right now \u2013 be they educators, lawyers or college sports fans \u2013 who are being turned off from college sports because of all those new rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“This book is for them, for fans, professionals, parents and everyone involved to understand what the changes are going forward.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Clara Turnage<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
William Berry. Photo by Robert Jordan\/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
Daniel Lust. Submitted photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
College sports programs are undergoing dramatic changes, and a University of Mississippi law professor is helping fans make sense of the new athletics landscape in his new book. Graphic by Cole Russell\/University Marketing and Communications<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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