• Loading stock data...
Thursday, September 18, 2025

Texas Freshman Slams Headfirst Into NCAA Prize Money Rules at US Open

  • NCAA rules prohibit athletes from taking more than $10,000 in prize money. 
  • The rule is currently being challenged in court. 
Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

Maya Joint had a great excuse to skip her first day of college classes at Texas on Monday. 

She was competing in the US Open and won herself $140,000 by advancing to the second round of the major. 

Even if she doesn’t make it any further, she might take home only 7% of it.

Joint, who was born in Michigan but competes for Australia, is the latest athlete to bump into NCAA rules restricting prize money. 

NCAA rules state, “In tennis, prior to full-time collegiate enrollment, an individual may accept up to $10,000 per calendar year in prize money based on his or her place finish or performance in open athletics events (events that are not invitation only).

“Once the individual has reached the $10,000 limit in a particular year, he or she may receive additional prize money on a per-event basis, provided such prize money does not exceed the individual’s actual and necessary expenses for participation in the event.”

Joint acknowledged the difficulties of the situation. “It’s very complicated,” she said. 

“[As] student athletes, you can take the money from the tournament but you have to, like, make expenses until the end of the year,” Joint said after Monday’s match. “So it’s different from amateur to college.”

The rule in question is currently under fire from one of Joint’s peers, Reese Brantmeier. 

In March, Brantmeier sued the NCAA, alleging that the prize money restrictions amounted to illegal price-fixing. Brantmeier won $50,000 from the United States Tennis Association for her play at the 2021 US Open, but she was still ineligible her freshman year at North Carolina because the NCAA deemed some of her expenses unnecessary. She said she wasn’t cleared to play until she made a $5,100 donation to a charity. Among other reparations, she is seeking for the NCAA to be restrained from restricting prize money. 

Brantmeier v. NCAA is working its way through the courts. On July 2, attorneys for Brantmeier requested a preliminary injunction that would temporarily block the NCAA from enforcing any of its prize money restrictions. If that injunction were granted, Joint would be free to take whatever money she wins at the US Open and still play for Texas; Joint was one of two college athletes who filed briefs supporting Brantmeier’s request for the injunction. A judge in North Carolina District Court heard Brantmeier’s case for blocking the NCAA prize money rules last month but has yet to rule.

Spokespeople for the US Open and Texas women’s tennis team did not immediately respond to requests for comment. 

Despite the rules, Joint says she’s fine and has sought guidance from her parents and the compliance office at Texas. She plans to head to Austin whenever she’s done playing in Queens. 

“If I go to college, then I get my scholarship spot,” Joint said Monday. “If I decide to go pro in the meantime, I can always come back on scholarship, which is a big deal.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Fever Ratings Fall Without Clark, but Rest of WNBA Game 1s Surge

The Indiana Fever game drew 47% fewer viewers this year.
Sep 13, 2025; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide running back AK Dear (0) tries to outrun Wisconsin Badgers cornerback Ricardo Hallman (2) during the second half at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Despite Vote Delay, SCORE Act Negotiations Continue on Capitol Hill

Political ad campaigns during college football Saturdays continue as well.
Jul 27, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Injured Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) looks on from the bench during the first half of a basketball game against the Chicago Sky at United Center.

WNBA Ratings Rise 3% in 2025 Despite Clark’s Absence

Caitlin Clark played in just 13 of 44 regular-season games.

Featured Today

Premier Lacrosse League

‘The Circus Is Coming to Town’: Why Upstart Leagues Start on Tour

In their ambitious plans, a traveling schedule is only temporary.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 19: A detailed view of the MLB Debut patch on the jersey of Patrick Monteverde #44 of the Miami Marlins prior to game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on April 19, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
September 13, 2025

The Tiny Jersey Patch at the Center of the MLB Rookie Card..

Autographed cards containing a piece of baseball history have upended the market.
September 11, 2025

Eagles-Chiefs Super Bowl Rematch Could Set More NFL Ratings Records

Fox will nationally televise Sunday afternoon’s matchup.
September 10, 2025

ESPN’s ‘MNF’ Ratings Up 8% As NFL Surges to Strong Start

ESPN posts its second-best Week 1 “Monday Night Football” audience.
Sep 12, 2025; Pasadena, California, USA; New Mexico Lobos quarterback Jack Layne (2) reacts after his team scored a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the UCLA Bruins at Rose Bowl.

UCLA Paid New Mexico $1.2 Million for Friday’s Loss: Payout Game Tracker

The Bruins weren’t the only Power-4 school to lose a buy game and fire their coach.
September 14, 2025

College Football’s Costly Start for Virginia Tech, UCLA: Coaches Out

UCLA and Virginia Tech fire their coaches while Notre Dame slumps badly.
Sep 12, 2025; Pasadena, California, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava (9) looks to pass during the first quarter against the New Mexico Lobos at Rose Bowl.
September 15, 2025

UCLA-Tennessee QB Trade Has Been Painful So Far

Iamaleava abruptly left Tennessee for UCLA this past offseason.
Sponsored

How World Series Champ Dexter Fowler Became a Premier League Team Owner

Dexter Fowler discusses navigating retirement and embracing new roles as an owner & investor.
Mar 4, 2025; Washington, DC, USA; House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., speaks with Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene, R-Ga., ahead of President Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on March 4, 2025.
September 11, 2025

House Republicans Delay SCORE Act Vote Tentatively Planned for Next Week

They didn’t believe they had enough votes to pass the bill.
Jan 25, 2023; Langley, British Columbia, CAN; Highlights from the CHL Kubota Top Prospects game at the Langley Events Centre
September 10, 2025

NCAA Hockey Scouts Denied Passes for Crucial Recruiting League

The CHL won’t welcome scouts on passes: “It comes across as petty.”
Feb 17, 2024; Boise, Idaho, USA; Fresno State Bulldogs guard Jalen Weaver (5) during the first half against the Boise State Broncos at ExtraMile Arena.
September 10, 2025

NCAA Bans 3 Basketball Players for Violating Betting Rules Last Season

The former San Jose State and Fresno State players have lost eligibility.
NFL Congress
exclusive
September 10, 2025

College Sports ‘House of Cards’: Republicans, Lobbyists Work to Secure Votes to..

Several House Republicans criticized the SCORE Act on social media.