Immediate Release: June 21, 2021
Contact: media@colorofchange.org
Color Of Change: SCOTUS Ruling Against NCAA Confirms It’s Time to Pay the Players
Landmark Decision Highlights NCAA’s Systematic Exploitation of Black Athletes
NATIONWIDE – In response to today’s unanimous Supreme Court decision in the National Collegiate Athletic Association v. Shawne Alston case, ruling the NCAA has violated antitrust laws by restricting the compensation and benefits that college athletes may receive, Color Of Change issued the following statement from Vice President Arisha Hatch:
“The unanimous decision today by the Supreme Court of the United States in NCAA v. Alston confirms what Color Of Change and our members have been saying for years: college leagues need to pay the players their rightful wages. This decision is overdue recognition of the system of inequity the NCAA has built on the backs of Black college athletes, who have been denied their right to fair compensation for too long.
For decades, the NCAA and its band of corporate sponsors have raked in billions of dollars in revenue by taking advantage of college athletes, who are disproportionately Black, under the facade of ‘amateurism.’ Meanwhile, college athletes not only face the risk of career-ending injuries, but have also been systematically denied opportunities to improve their livelihoods with campus jobs or sponsorships.
Today’s Supreme Court ruling is a landmark victory, but the fight for Black athletes’ rights must persist in the halls of Congress. Color Of Change will continue to mobilize its 7-million-member base to advocate for the passage of Senator Cory Booker’s (D-NJ) College Athletes’ Bill of Rights, a bill which would guarantee fair and equitable compensation, improved educational opportunities for college athletes and enforceable health and safety standards nationwide. We’ve won once before with California’s Fair Pay to Play Act — now it’s time to protect college athletes nationwide”
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About Color Of Change:
Color Of Change is the nation’s largest online racial justice organization. We help people respond effectively to injustice in the world around us. As a national online force driven by over 7 million members, we move decision-makers in corporations and government to create a more human and less hostile world for Black people in America. Visit www.colorofchange.org.