WASHINGTON — Justices across the ideological spectrum teamed up during Supreme Court oral arguments on Wednesday to voice skepticism about the N.C.A.A.’s argument that it could bar modest payments to student-athletes in the name of amateurism despite antitrust laws. But they also seemed worried about opening the floodgates to other challenges.
Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh, noting that college sports generate billions of dollars in revenue, said that “the antitrust laws should not be a cover for the exploitation of the student-athletes.”
Justice Clarence Thomas noted that other participants in college sports are paid enormous sums. “It just strikes me as odd that coaches’ salaries have ballooned,” he said.