{"id":11528902,"date":"2025-06-30T07:00:04","date_gmt":"2025-06-30T11:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/?p=11528902"},"modified":"2025-06-30T14:17:01","modified_gmt":"2025-06-30T18:17:01","slug":"ncaa-revenue-sharing-what-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/2025\/06\/30\/ncaa-revenue-sharing-what-to-know\/","title":{"rendered":"Maryland colleges can begin paying athletes Tuesday. Here’s what to know."},"content":{"rendered":"

College athletics looks far different than it did even a few years ago. And starting this summer, some student-athletes will begin to profit even more than they already do.<\/p>\n

Starting Tuesday, Division I schools will be allowed to pay athletes directly as a result of a settlement ending three antitrust lawsuits against the NCAA. It paves the way for revenue sharing, which will give athletes a portion of the resources they help generate for the first time in the history of college sports.<\/p>\n

The University of Maryland announced it plans to spend the maximum allowed amount on its players<\/a>. Some nonpower conference local schools will also participate, while others are opting out.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s everything you need to know:<\/p>\n

What\u2019s going on?<\/h4>\n

NCAA Division I schools can pay student athletes directly through what will be known as revenue sharing starting Tuesday. Schools can pay their athletes up to $20.5 million of the revenue their athletic departments generate. It will be up to schools individually to decide how to allocate that across sports. Most expect football and men’s basketball to lead the way.<\/p>\n

The $20.5 million figure is expected to rise incrementally every year, similar to how the NFL\u2019s salary cap increases annually, proportional to the league\u2019s revenue. In addition to introducing revenue sharing, schools that opt in will also be forced to help pay $2.8 billion in back pay to former NCAA athletes who competed since 2016. The University of Maryland\u2019s share of that is $1.5 million annually over the next decade. Scholarship limits will also be increased for all sports, the Terps announced earlier this month.<\/p>\n

Why is this happening?<\/h4>\n

This is the result of the settlement from the House v. NCAA case.<\/a> It received preliminary approval in October, then California judge Claudia Wilken heard final arguments in April, and a revised version of the settlement was approved on June 6. Schools are expected to begin paying athletes as soon as Tuesday. The House v. NCAA settlement ended three antitrust lawsuits, all of which argued the NCAA illegally limited college athletes\u2019 earning abilities.<\/p>\n

Schools from the power conferences \u2014 the Big Ten, Southeastern Conference, Big 12 and Atlantic Coast Conference \u2014\u00a0 were required to opt in to the agreement, while nonpower conference Division I schools had the choice to opt out of the settlement by a June 15 deadline.<\/p>\n

How will schools allocate the money?<\/h4>\n

Most power conference schools, such as Maryland, have said they will give a large portion of the $20.5 million to football and men’s and women’s basketball. For many schools, those are the top revenue-producing programs.<\/p>\n