The N.C.A.A.’s tombstone had long ago been prepared. The marble had been polished. The cause of death — consumption — had been engraved. All that had been missing was the expiration date.
It did not come Monday.
When the Supreme Court unanimously upheld N.C.A.A. v. Alston to say the biggest governing body of college sports could not stand in the way of athletes being paid for educational benefits, it provided a number of victories for those who argue that the billion-dollar industry should be dismantled.
The high court made an emphatic declaration that stripped away the cudgel of a 37-year-old decision — made in Board of Regents v.