US appeals court to weigh NCAA case over pay for athletes

By MARYCLAIRE DALE
Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The NCAA hopes a federal appeals court will soon block a lawsuit that seeks to treat athletes as employees who are paid for their time. It is the latest test of amateurism in college sports. The Division I athletes who filed the suit being argued next month want hourly wages similar to those earned in work-study programs. They say the nation’s colleges are violating fair labor practices by failing to pay them for the time they put into their sports. Baylor University President Linda Livingston, chairperson of the NCAA’s Board of Governors, says the idea would have a “potentially catastrophic impact on college sports.”