College Athletes Rights in the 21st Century

Civil rights have been defined as “the rights of citizens to political and social freedom and equality.” During the past 20 years, there has been a growing awareness that the practices that are used by the college sport industry to regulate players in the sports of football and basketball (the economic drivers of the industry) often deny them basic civil rights and liberties, impede their ability to access a meaningful education, subject them to harsh treatment and unsafe workplaces, violate anti-trust law, and artificially suppress their value. This conference is designed to bring scholars, journalists, practitioners, and athletes together for the purpose of envisioning a new model of college sport for the 21st century that places the health, well-being, and welfare of college athletes at the center and provides a democratic avenue for athletes to share in the decision making that shapes the rules governing their lives.

WATCH the College Athletes Rights in the 21st Century panel with Taylor Branch (Pulitzer Prize winning author), Kain Colter (LA Rams, CAPA), Billy Hawkins (University of Georgia), Ramogi Huma (NCPA & CAPA), and Ed O'Bannon  (lead plaintiff in O'Bannon v. NCAA) moderated by ESPN's Kevin Blackistone.

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