The men’s basketball team at Dartmouth College voted 13-2 Tuesday to unionize in a historic decision that could have widespread implications for college sports. While the school is expected to appeal the team’s right to unionize, the vote is a first for NCAA athletes after previous unionization attempts failed.
A National Labor Relations Board regional manager cleared the way for this latest push on Feb. 5 by ruling that players at Dartmouth could vote to form a union. The team initially pushed for the ruling in September and followed through with Tuesday’s vote, which potentially paves the way for others across the country — particularly teams at private colleges — to follow suit.
With the NCAA already backing away from its effort to police “pay for play” in the realm of NIL compensation amid a recent loss in federal court, the Dartmouth team’s decision is merely the latest sign that college athletes are on track to become employees of their universities.
