Ed O'Bannon suing NCAA: UPDATE: O'Bannon wins, but NCAA may not suffer that much

Re: Ed O'Bannon suing NCAA

I suspect that in the not-too-distant-future we'll see college video games that use images of players no longer playing in college. NCAA washes its hands of the whole thing and it's up to the individual schools - via CLC or whoever - to license their logos and the individual former players to license their images.

 

Re: Ed O'Bannon suing NCAA

This is also a great point. Too many people are too ignorant to see beyond the "NCAA bad. Must be destroyed" talking point and can't grasp the larger ramifications. Athletes are no different than TAs when it comes to feeding the money-making machine that is a university. Funny you don't see anyone taking up for them.

 

Re: Ed O'Bannon suing NCAA

A high school covering expenses with the gate and a grad student performing a function that is part of the mission of the university -- i.e. the reason the job exists in the first place -- is not even in the same stratosphere as the NCAA licensing video games and other merchandise that exploits the athletes' image. And that's the basis of the lawsuit, the image/likeness infringement. The analogy Alma tries to make has absolutely nothing to do with the claim in this case.

 

Re: Ed O'Bannon suing NCAA

But it will be used in future suits if the NCAA loses. Anyone who thinks otherwise is a fool.

And plenty of high schools use player images for for-profit reasons.

 

Re: Ed O'Bannon suing NCAA

Really? I'd like to see some examples of that.

 

Re: Ed O'Bannon suing NCAA

TAs are also free to find any other resources for compensation. TAs are also free to find other schools that pay their TAs more money, and switch schools without having to ask anyone for permission to do so.

The NCAA and their schools don't allow for negotiation and limit the resources for compensation to government grants. It's take it or leave it.

 

Re: Ed O'Bannon suing NCAA

I would think LeBron James' high school would be an example. But high school is different than college in that kids are required to go to a high school until whatever age is mandated by the state. They're not required to go to college. And there's very little restriction on transferring.

A high school with a star basketball player could try to market the kid, get sneaker deals and other money. But the kid is always free to go somewhere else if he doesn't like it, and leave the school without the star to market.

 

Re: Ed O'Bannon suing NCAA

Do you give a shit if LeBron's high school would no longer be able to market the bejeezus out of him?

 

Re: Ed O'Bannon suing NCAA

Ever seen a schedule poster with pictures of athletes and ads at the bottom?

 

Re: Ed O'Bannon suing NCAA

Athletes are also free to find another avenue to promote themselves for professional jobs.

And college athletes are compensated by their universities.

 

Re: Ed O'Bannon suing NCAA

I'm sure they could do it with LeBron's approval.

But if that's what AQB'S is talking about, all those cases can't amount to more than a couple million dollars of incidental revenue, nationally, over a 10-year span. What the O'Bannon case is addressing is a multibillion-dollar industry that has sprung up around the idea of not paying the main participants. No court is going to give weight to that silly "slippery slope" argument.

 

Re: Ed O'Bannon suing NCAA

The amount of money is irrelevant. Exploitation is exploitation.

BTW, how much does a for-profit newspaper pay athletes for using their images in print?