A court settlement that would require colleges to pay athletes billions for their play is not going to settle the debate over amateurism in NCAA sports

As the sun sets on the Biden administration, the Office for Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Education (OCR) provided a new Fact Sheet on Jan. 16, 2025, to “clarify” how Title IX will apply to universities’ direct payments to student-athletes for use of their names,

The U.S. Department of Education says plans for colleges to pay athletes directly for their name, image and likeness deals would run afoul of Title IX

The direct payment plans that many major college athletic departments are making for athletes would violate Title IX law, according to a Department of Education memo.

OCR’s Title IX guidance reshapes college athletics by requiring proportional NIL revenue sharing between male and female athletes, challenging budgets.