Alabama Football: Athletes on the verge of being paid

We’re one step closer to seeing Alabama football players be compensated.

For decades, some of the best Alabama football players in history have played without being financially compensated in college. With one Supreme Court ruling, athletes are a step closer to being paid.

The Supreme Court unanimously ruled against the NCAA regarding educational benefits given to football and basketball players. Essentially, the NCAA can no longer limit the resources given to players if they are used in an academic capacity.

It will take time to see how this will impact the lives of student-athletes, but this is certainly a step forward in the fight for player compensation. This ruling does not give schools the right or obligation to pay players or to let them make money in other ways, but it establishes a precedent. It is just one loss for the NCAA, but it’s a sign of things to come.

The crucial part of this is the fact that it was unanimous. The Supreme Court seems unified on the fact that the NCAA should not be able to limit benefits for players. To use the official wording of the Supreme Court, “The NCAA is not above the law.”

There will be more rulings to come, but this shows the NCAA that they are fighting a losing battle. The Supreme Court went out of their way to say that athletes deserve compensation, and that will matter beyond this one case.

For Alabama football, this is a step closer to having another recruiting advantage. Alabama will be able to offer more in terms of exposure and resources than any school in the country, so it will help if they can use that strength.

An official timeline for players being paid is hard to determine, but it feels inevitable at this point. Sooner rather than later, Alabama football players (and college athletes across the country) will be able to make money while they are in college.