The Changing Face of Collegiate Athletics – NCAA, Knight Commission, and Title IX

Two concurrent – but not directly connected – sets of major changes relating to the NCAA were made public in June and July of 2021, marking a period of transformational change in collegiate sports.

The Supreme Court published its decision upholding a previous ruling against the NCAA, which bars the NCAA from placing any restrictions on educational benefits for student-athletes.

Within a matter of days of the Supreme Court’s ruling, the NCAA acted on a decision reached by its board of directors to lift previous restrictions on student-athletes eligibility to receive compensation for the use of their name, image, and likeness (NIL).

Taken together, the recent changes portend that a sea change is imminent in collegiate athletics.