Brentwood Academy v. Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Assn.

The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (defendant), a nonprofit membership corporation regulating interscholastic sports, included almost all of the state's public schools and many private ones, was formally recognized by the state Board of Education as the sport's primary regulator, and drew its voting membership almost entirely from public school administrators. When the Association penalized member school Brentwood Academy (plaintiff) with a fine and suspension for improper athletic recruiting, Brentwood sued under § 1983, claiming the enforcement was state action violating the First and Fourteenth Amendments. The district court agreed and granted Brentwood summary judgment, the court of appeals reversed, and the Supreme Court granted certiorari.