National Collegiate Athletic Association v. Tarkanian

In National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) v. Tarkanian (1988), the U.S. Supreme Court held that threatened NCAA sanctions against the head basketball coach of a public university did not constitute state action, even though the university was a member of the NCAA, and thus the NCAA's actions did not violate the coach's civil rights. In light of the potential ramifications that Tarkanian has for the relationship between institutions of higher education and the NCAA with regard to intercollegiate athletics, this entry reviews the case in detail. Tarkanian is noteworthy, because although the NCAA was ultimately unsuccessful in its attempted disciplining of the coach, the case appears to limit the ability of individuals to sue the NCAA for violation of their civil rights, because the NCAA ...