Court Justice: The Inside Story of My Battle Against the NCAA, Hardcover

Descriere

Game-changing, decorated veteran basketball player Ed O'Bannon digs deep into his championship college and pro career; his radical act to bring a watershed, winning legal case against the Goliath that is the NCAA; and the most recent wave of criminal charges handed down in the name of NCAA ``amateurism`` Ed O'Bannon was a star basketball player in high school before playing as a power forward for the UCLA Bruins in the NCAA, winning the championship in 1995. He went pro and spent two seasons with the New Jersey Nets before building a career playing internationally. During his NCAA years, he and his fellow players were well-aware of the huge profits they were bringing in to the NCAA, while struggling themselves. In college, they were required to work at their game as if it were a full time job, and forced to tailor their coursework and chances at a real education around the demands of their sport. In addition, they could have their scholarships -- and their ability to attend school -- stripped without cause. College athletics are supposed to be a way forward for a lot of kids, especially minority students, but only a fraction actually go on to pro careers, and the rest will find themselves straining into a future despite having brought glory -- and substantial income --to the NCAA. In 2009, long into retirement and a successful civilian career, O'Bannon thought he'd made peace with it all. But at a friend's house, he saw a video game called 2009 NCAA March Madness and realized the kid wielding the controller was playing an avatar of him. O'Bannon's likeness, his achievements, his style as a player on the ``UCLA Bruins 94-95 team`` --- everything about him and his teammates but their actual names were right there making money for the NCAA still. So, when he was approached by a group that wanted to help students today by fighting the system, he quickly agreed to be the face of it. The court case, which became a class action suit, was just the beginning.