Student Athlete Unions Pose ‘Existential Threat’ to College Sports: House Republicans

Treating college athletes as employees would lead to program cuts that ultimately harm themselves, the Republicans argued.

The College Football Playoff logo on the field at AT&T Stadium before the Rose Bowl NCAA college football game between Notre Dame and Alabama in Arlington, Texas, on Jan. 1, 2021. Roger Steinman/AP Photo

In the wake of Dartmouth College’s men’s basketball team’s vote to form the first-ever student-athlete bargaining unit, House Republicans are warning that unionization poses an “existential threat” to the future of college sports.

On March 12, a House panel heard testimonies concerning the implications of a recent ruling by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), a federal agency charged with enforcing labor laws. In the ruling, an NLRB regional director found that Dartmouth’s basketball players are school employees and should have the right to collectively bargain.