"Like Curt Flood and Oscar Robertson, who paved the way for free agency in sports, Ed O'Bannon decided there was a principle at stake... O'Bannon gave the movement to reform college sports...passion and purpose, animated by righteous indignation." -Jeremy Schaap, ESPN journalist and New York Times bestselling author
In 2009, Ed O'Bannon, once a star for the 1995 NCAA Champion UCLA Bruins and a first-round NBA draft pick, thought he'd made peace with the NCAA's exploitive system of "amateurism." College athletes generated huge profits, yet-training nearly full-time, forced to tailor coursework around sports, often pawns in corrupt investigations-they saw little from those riches other than revocable scholarships and miniscule chances of going pro. Still, that was all in O'Bannon's past...until he saw the video game NCAA Basketball 09. As avatars of their college selves-their likenesses, achievements, and playing styles-O'Bannon and his teammates were still making money for the NCAA. So, when asked to fight the system for players past, present, and future-and seeking no personal financial reward, but rather the chance to make college sports more fair-he agreed to be the face of what became a landmark class-action lawsuit.
Court Justice brings readers to the front lines of a critical battle in the long fight for players' rights while also offering O'Bannon's unique perspective on today's NCAA recruiting scandals. From the basketball court to the court of law facing NCAA executives, athletic directors, and "expert" witnesses; and finally to his innovative ideas for reform, O'Bannon breaks down history's most important victory yet against the inequitable model of multi-billion-dollar "amateur" sports.
"Like Curt Flood and Oscar Robertson, who paved the way for free agency in sports, Ed O'Bannon decided there was a principle at stake... O'Bannon gave the movement to reform college sports...passion and purpose, animated by righteous indignation." -Jeremy Schaap, ESPN journalist and New York Times bestselling author
In 2009, Ed O'Bannon, once a star for the 1995 NCAA Champion UCLA Bruins and a first-round NBA draft pick, thought he'd made peace with the NCAA's exploitive system of "amateurism." College athletes generated huge profits, yet-training nearly full-time, forced to tailor coursework around sports, often pawns in corrupt investigations-they saw little from those riches other than revocable scholarships and miniscule chances of going pro. Still, that was all in O'Bannon's past...until he saw the video game NCAA Basketball 09. As avatars of their college selves-their likenesses, achievements, and playing styles-O'Bannon and his teammates were still making money for the NCAA. So, when asked to fight the system for players past, present, and future-and seeking no personal financial reward, but rather the chance to make college sports more fair-he agreed to be the face of what became a landmark class-action lawsuit.
Court Justice brings readers to the front lines of a critical battle in the long fight for players' rights while also offering O'Bannon's unique perspective on today's NCAA recruiting scandals. From the basketball court to the court of law facing NCAA executives, athletic directors, and "expert" witnesses; and finally to his innovative ideas for reform, O'Bannon breaks down history's most important victory yet against the inequitable model of multi-billion-dollar "amateur" sports.
Ed O'Bannon led the UCLA men's basketball team to the 1995
NCAA Basketball Championship. He received the NCAA Tournament's
Most Outstanding Player Award and won numerous other awards,
including the John Wooden Award, which recognizes the best college
basketball player in the country. O'Bannon was the ninth player
selected in the 1995 NBA Draft and enjoyed a 10-year professional
basketball career. After retiring from the game, O'Bannon entered
the car dealership industry. In 2009, O'Bannon filed a federal
lawsuit against the NCAA and Electronic Arts. In a landmark
decision, which was upheld by the U.S. Court of Appeals, O'Bannon
defeated the NCAA. O'Bannon received no compensation from the case.
O'Bannon, who is from Los Angeles, now resides in Henderson, Nevada
with his wife, Rosa. They have three children.
Michael McCann is Sports Illustrated's Legal Analyst and has
authored more than 600 articles for SI. He is also a Professor of
Law, with tenure, and Director of the Sports and Entertainment Law
Institute at the University of New Hampshire School of Law. He is
the Editor of the forthcoming Handbook of American Sports Law and
has authored articles in the Yale Law Journal, Boston College Law
Review and Harvard Journal of Sports and Entertainment among other
top law reviews. He holds degrees from Harvard Law School, the
University of Virginia School of Law, and Georgetown University. He
resides in his hometown of Andover, Massachusetts with his wife,
Kara.
“Ed O’Bannon wisely focuses as much on shattering the myth of the
‘student athlete’ as on the legal aspects of his groundbreaking
lawsuit. He exposes the many ways that college players are
exploited financially and deprived of both their civil rights and a
meaningful education—while the NCAA, college athletic departments,
coaches and athletic directors, apparel companies, videogame
producers and sports agents rake in millions of dollars from those
athletes’ images and unpaid labor. Despite the resistance of those
entrenched interests, O’Bannon has set in motion changes that are
inevitable, and everyone involved will benefit. His twelve ideas
for fixing college sports should be required reading for everyone
in the business of sports.”
—Oscar Robertson, National Association of Basketball Coaches’
“Player of the Century,” longest-serving President of the National
Basketball Players Association, and leader of the anti-trust
class-action suit resulting in the Oscar Robertson Rule that gained
free agency for NBA players and ultimately all professional
athletes
“Ed O’Bannon is a trailblazer in the debate over the fair treatment
of college athletes in the multi-billion dollar industry of NCAA
sports. Ed’s new book Court Justice is an amazing inside view of an
All-American’s battle against the NCAA cartel. It is a fascinating
read. No matter what side of the fence you find yourself on, Ed’s
book will stress test your position in a riveting fashion.”
—Jay Bilas, ESPN
“Ed O’Bannon has cracked the lineup of principled athletes who have
fought for players’ rights. That battle began long ago by immortals
like Oscar Robertson and Bill Russell, and they stand with O’Bannon
today. Giving college athletes a fair stake in the NCAA’s profit
machine should matter to everyone, and Court Justice lucidly
explains the stakes, the parameters of the battle, and what reforms
are needed today.”
—Jack McCallum, New York Times best-selling author of Dream Team
and most recently Golden Days: West’s Lakers, Steph’s Warriors, and
the California Dreamers Who Reinvented Basketball
“Ed O’Bannon is that rarest of athletes, a true game-changer. He
set college sports on a path toward modernization, motivated by the
desire to make it better for all. This is what can happen when the
gentlest of souls meets the opportunity to make history, and
doesn’t flinch.”
—Tom Farrey, executive director, Aspen Institute Sports & Society
Progam, and author of Game On: The All-American Race to Make
Champions of Our Children
“The movement of so called ‘student-athletes’ to reclaim their
personhood in the face of a system rife with exploitation cannot be
understood without reading Court Justice. Ed O’Bannon is a hero. He
spoke truth to power—a truth that now like a subterranean fire,
cannot be stomped out.”
—Dave Zirin, sports editor of The Nation, and author of Jim Brown:
Last Man Standing
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