National Collegiate Athletic Association v. Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma et al. (468 U.S. 85)

U.S. Supreme Court · decided June 27, 1984 · Supreme Court Database (Spaeth)

Citation
468 U.S. 85 · 104 S. Ct. 2948
Decided
June 27, 1984
Term
October Term 1983
Vote
7–2
Majority author
Justice Stevens
Issue area
Economic Activity
Disposition
Affirmed
Outcome
Petitioning party lost
Ideological direction
Liberal

Opinion excerpt

Justice Stevens delivered the opinion of the Court. The University of Oklahoma and the University of Georgia contend that the National Collegiate Athletic Association has unreasonably restrained trade in the televising of college football games. After an extended trial, the District Court found that the NCAA had violated § 1 of the Sherman Act and granted injunctive relief. 546 F. Supp. 1276 (WD Okla. 1982). The Court of Appeals agreed that the statute had been violated but modified the remedy in some respects. 707 F. 2d 1147 (CA10 1983). We granted certiorari, 464 U. S. 913 (1983), and now affirm. I The NCAA Since its inception in 1905, the NCAA has played an important role in the regulation of amateur collegiate sports. It has adopted and promulgated playing rules, standards of amateurism, standards for academic eligibility, regulations concerning recruitment of athletes, and rules governing the size of athletic squads and coaching staffs. In some sports, such as baseball, swimming, basketball, wrestling, and track, it has sponsored and conducted national tournaments. It has not done so in the sport of football, however. With the exception of football, the NCAA has not undertaken any regulation of the televising of athletic events. The NCAA has approximately 850 voting members. The regular members are classified into separate divisions to reflect differences in size and…

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