Many have argued that college athletes should be allowed to make money. After a movement for college athletes to be compensated gained steam over the years, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) voted to suspend longtime rules against players profiting from name, image, or likeness.

In the past, the NCAA has defended its anti-compensation rules, claiming they were vital to the survival of college sports, The Wall Street Journal reported. Players were fighting for a free market environment, instead of what many compared to a slave market with the players playing for free and generating revenue for the schools.

The top NCAA Division 1 schools rack in nearly $8.5 billion in annual revenue, with 58 percent coming directly from men’s football and men’s basketball programs, according to a 2020 study released by the National Bureau of Economic Research. But less than 7 percent of this revenue goes to athletes in the form of scholarships and stipends for living expenses, Forbes reported.

This move by the NCAA comes after the U.S. Supreme court on June 21 sided with former college athletes, ruling unanimously that the NCAA violates antitrust law by limiting academic benefits for student athletes.

Former West Virginia University running back Shawne Alston and other student athletes brought the antitrust lawsuit originally to the 9th Circuit, alleging that the NCAA rules violate the Sherman Act, which prohibits “contract(s), combination(s) or conspirac(ies) in restraint of trade,” Rocky Mountain Collegian reported. After this, the Supreme Court affirmed the lower court rulings in a 9-0 vote.

The NCAA argued to the Supreme Court that compensating college athletes would make it difficult for them to be considered amateur. 

Former President Barack Obama too was against the compensation of college sports players. In a 2109 interview, Obama said doing so would “ruin the sense of college sports.”  

Compensation would “create a situation where there are bidding wars…And that I do think would ruin the sense of college sports,” Obama said.

The NCAA’s new decision will allow athletes to be paid for things such as sponsorship deals, online endorsements, and personal appearances. The decision applies to all three divisions or some 460,000 athletes, NPR reported.

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In addition, the NCAA is allowing athletes to enter into agreements with agents.

A 2020 study released by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that less than 7 percent of the revenue generated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association —more than $8 billion annually—finds its way to football and men’s basketball players through scholarships and living stipends.