Dartmouth basketball team ruled to be employees.

National Labor Relations Board delivers potential fatal blow to NCAA with landmark Dartmouth ruling

The National Labor Relations Board has ruled in favor of the men’s college basketball team at Dartmouth College, classifying them as employees of the university in a decision that could have massive ramifications for the NCAA and the future of college sports.

In September 2023, the Dartmouth College men’s basketball team filed a petition with the NLRB by the Service Employees International Union, seeking representation and to be classified as employees of Dartmouth. With the SEIU listed as the petitioner in the motion, the men’s basketball team became the latest college athletes to attempt to unionize and challenge the National Collegiate Athletics Association’s classification of student-athletes.


Nearly nine years after efforts by Northwestern football players to unionize failed, the NRLB has now issued a ruling that could have massive ramifications for the NCAA.

As first reported by Amanda Christovi of Front Office Sports, the NLRB ruled on Monday that the men’s basketball players who filed the petition are employees of the school and will thus be allowed to unionize.


The NLRB released a statement explaining the ruling.

“Dartmouth takes the position the petitioned-for basketball players are not employees within the meaning of the Act and submits that the petition should be dismissed. In addition, Dartmouth takes the position that the Board should decline to assert jurisdiction over the basketball players so as not to create instability in labor relations. As set forth below, I find that because Dartmouth has the right to control the work performed by the men’s varsity basketball team, and because the players perform that work in exchange for compensation, the petitioned-for basketball players are employees within the meaning of the Act.

Additionally, I find that asserting jurisdiction would not create instability in labor relations.

Accordingly, I shall direct an election in the petitioned-for unit.”

National Labor Relations Board ruling on Dartmouth men’s basketball players being classified as employees


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