A regional director on the National Labor Relations Board ruled Monday that Dartmouth men’s basketball players are employees of the college and allowed to unionize in a landmark decision that challenges the NCAA's longstanding amateurism model.
The 26-page ruling by NLRB regional director Laura Sacks was initially reported by Front Office Sports. It cites U.S. labor law in determining that Dartmouth players are permitted to form a union.
“Because Dartmouth has the right to control the work performed by the Dartmouth men’s basketball team, and the players perform that work in exchange for compensation, I find that the petitioned-for basketball players are employees within the meaning of the [National Labor Relations] Act,” Sacks wrote.