31 Mar 2021 Right in the middle of March Madness the NCAA is facing judgment on another court as the U.S. Supreme Court considers NCAA v. Alston, a class-action suit filed in 2014 by Division I football and basketball players against the collegiate sporting organization. Under the NCAA’s rules, colleges and universities can pay for athletes’ educational expenses, including tuition and fees, room and board, and books, as well as small awards for athletic or academic achievements. Though, if athletes are paid for playing sports, they become ineligible to play under NCAA, which directs sports at more than 1,000 member American colleges and universities.