College athletes spent decades fighting for the right to make money from their name, image and likeness (NIL). In 2021, they won. Now, a $2.8bn NCAA settlement is set to compensate hundreds of thousands of current and former athletes who missed out on those earnings. But not everyone thinks the deal is fair.

Eight female athletes filed an appeal this week, arguing the agreement violates Title IX, the US law banning sex-based discrimination in education. They say the way the money is divided, largely favoring football and men’s basketball players, shortchanges women by more than $1bn.

Their appeal has paused all back payments, potentially delaying them for more than a year. However, the NCAA’s new plan to allow schools to pay current players directly starting 1 July will still go ahead.

So what does this all mean for athletes as well as the future of college sports? Here’s what’s going on …