Foley Attorneys Explore Election Impact on NCAA

Foley & Lardner LLP attorneys Jon Israel, Zachary Flagel, and John Riley authored the Sports Business Journal article, “The 2024 U.S. election: A turning point for the NCAA?“

The authors write that with Republican control of Congress and the White House, the NCAA may have a window to reach two key objectives that have driven litigation, shifted public opinion, and levied financial impact on the collegiate sports organization: an exemption from antitrust claims challenging NCAA rules and a national prohibition on classifying student athletes as wage-eligible employees.

“Even now, it seems unlikely that any college sports-related law coming from the current Congress would completely quash NIL opportunities for student athletes, but the concept is no longer completely inconceivable,” the authors conclude. “Still, for the NCAA, the legislative pipe dream is now a tangible possibility and may just be its last, best opportunity to restore its authority and role in the unsettled landscape of college sports.”

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