Overview

• A National Labor Relations Board official ruled Dartmouth basketball players are employees, setting the stage for the first-ever labor union for NCAA athletes.
• Dartmouth plans to appeal the decision, which could delay a final resolution for years, even as the players seek $20 an hour and health care premiums.
• The ruling could have far-reaching implications for college sports, challenging the NCAA's amateur model and potentially leading to unions across the Ivy League and beyond.
• The Dartmouth players' unionization effort is supported by the Service Employees International Union, highlighting the broader movement for economic and racial justice.
• The NCAA is facing multiple legal and political challenges to its model, including antitrust lawsuits and a Supreme Court ruling that opened the door for athlete compensation.