| NCAA v. Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma | |
|---|---|
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| Argued March 20, 1984 Decided June 27, 1984 | |
| Full case name | National Collegiate Athletic Association v. Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma, et al. |
| Citations | 468 U.S. 85 (more) 104 S. Ct. 2948; 82 L. Ed. 2d 70; 1984 U.S. LEXIS 130 |
| Case history | |
| Prior | The Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma, et al. v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, 546 F. Supp. 1276 (W.D. Okla. 1982), The Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma, et al. v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, 707 F.2d 1147 (10th Cir. 1983); cert. granted, 464 U.S. 913 (1983). |
| Subsequent | The Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma, et al. v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, 601 F. Supp. 307 (W.D. Okla. 1984) |
| Holding | |
| Holding that the NCAA's television plan violated the Sherman Anti-Trust Act and was an unreasonable restraint of trade. | |
| Court membership | |
| |
| Case opinions | |
| Majority | Stevens, joined by Burger, Brennan, Marshall, Blackmun, Powell, O'Connor |
| Dissent | White, joined by Rehnquist |
| Laws applied | |
| 15 U.S.C. §§ 1–7; 15 U.S.C. §§ 12–27; and 29 U.S.C. §§ 52–53 | |
NCAA v. Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma, 468 U.S. 85 (1984), was a case in which the Supreme Court of the United States held that the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) television plan violated the Sherman and Clayton Antitrust Acts, which were designed to prohibit group actions that restrained open competition and trade.
The NCAA is an organization that regulates college athletics, and membership is voluntary, although NCAA schools are not allowed to play against non-NCAA teams. The case dealt with television rights to college football games, which were controlled by the NCAA and limited the appearance of university teams in each season. The NCAA believed that their control of television rights protected live attendance, which was disputed by a number of colleges.
These larger colleges formed the College Football Association to negotiate television contracts, until the NCAA advised the colleges that they would be banned from all NCAA competitions, not just in football. The Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma and the University of Georgia Athletic Association sued to force the NCAA to stop the practice. The Supreme Court held that the NCAA's actions were a restraint of trade and ruled for the universities.