Dartmouth Basketball Players Voted 13-2 to Unionize

Dartmouth College men’s basketball teams votes to unionize | Image: TODAY/YouTube

Despite their overall record of 5-21 this season and being at the bottom of the Ivy League standings, Dartmouth’s men’s basketball squad may make history by leading the way as the inaugural college players to establish a union.

As per a report by Sportico on Tuesday, the team’s 15 members voted 13-2 in favor of unionizing and being represented by Service Employees International Union Local 560.

The voting process took place on campus under the supervision of the National Labor Relations Board.

“It’s time for the age of amateurism to end,” Dartmouth basketball player representatives Cade Haskins and Romeo Myrthil said in a statement.

“We call on the Dartmouth Board of Trustees and President (Sian) Beilock to live the truth of her own words and cultivate ‘brave spaces’ in which ‘changing one’s mind based on new evidence is a good thing.'”

This season, Haskins has averaged 0.9 points in 10 games, with Myrthil contributing 5.7 points and 2.0 rebounds, being the sole team member to participate in all 26 games.

Under the new name, image, and likeness (NIL) agreement that commenced in 2021, NCAA athletes are now allowed to receive compensation. Building on that, Dartmouth’s basketball team was officially identified as employees of the school by the NLRB last month.

Administrators of the institution have a 10-day window to contest this decision, with a potential escalation of the case to the Supreme Court, although such a process could take years. The institution’s efforts to postpone the vote held this Tuesday were unsuccessful.

A prior effort by Northwestern football players to unionize in 2015 was dismissed by the NLRB, which refused to have jurisdiction over the matter, thereby halting the unionization process.

As per Dartmouth officials, since basketball players are primarily viewed as students, the attempt to form a union was met with disagreement by the school.

“For Ivy League students who are varsity athletes, academics are of primary importance, and athletic pursuit is part of the educational experience,” the university said in a statement.

“Classifying these students as employees simply because they play basketball is as unprecedented as it is inaccurate. We, therefore, do not believe unionization is appropriate.”

While Dartmouth has the option to discontinue their men’s basketball program following the unionization vote, it is deemed an unlikely move as it could result in “unfair labor practices by retaliating and refusing to bargain,” according to Sportico.

Another aspect to consider would be the potential ramifications by the NCAA and/or Ivy League regarding the eligibility of the unionized players.

The current season for Dartmouth, with a record of 1-12 in Ivy League matches, will conclude on Tuesday night against Harvard. The conference tournament only includes the top four teams.

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