So the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals issued their ruling after reviewing the O'Bannon case, and this quote pretty much sums it up.
""In this case," it added, "the N.C.A.A.'s rules have been more restrictive than necessary to maintain its tradition of amateurism in support of the college sports market. The Rule of Reason requires that the N.C.A.A. permit its schools to provide up to the cost of attendance to their student athletes. It does not require more.""
In key the ruling reversed Judge Walker's earlier plan to allow up to 5k a year per player to be paid after leaving school for Name, Image, and Likeness rights used by the school during broadcasts and such.
2 Judges were the majority, the 3rd in his dissent agreed with the reasoning but argued that the NIL payments should have been retained.
In particular it also affirmed some of the growing body of law that says, yes the NCAA can be held to violate Anti-Trust laws, which is a shift and could have real effect on athlete collective rights.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/01/sports/obannon-ncaa-case-court-of-appeals-ruling.html?_r=1
Comments
So do I get a new NCAA game next year or not?
Probably not for next Christmas, but I say this makes it that much more likely that we get the games again and within the next 18-24 months.
The games were not included under the NIL payments and it was always going forward going to be something like the small payments per payer per year they are in like the settlement they did have.
EA and understand the NCAA were mostly waiting on the sideline to see how the courts went, but if the NIL payments remain struck down that is one less major expense for he schools and a revenue stream that could again become attractive to the schools and conferences.
The only the court that could come in would be the Supreme Court if appealed to, but the NCAA said even if they lost at the Appeals level they were unlikely to appeal, and they came off better than expected, unsure of the O'Bannon camp.
A large chunk of that time will be hammering out the new rights and licensing deal and how much money it will be, which will be more than ever before. Luckily the CLC basically handles it for the entire NCAA, schools and conferences agree that they negotiate for them so it goes faster.
Then the developers will basically be working from scratch with the next gen console, at least I hoe they do, the new Madden engine blows, and back in 314 the NCAA engine was just so much more fun than Madden.