College athletes are unionizing. Could this change sports?
Post Reports
The Washington Post
4.4 • 5.1K Ratings
🗓️ 12 March 2024
⏱️ 26 minutes
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Summary
In a historic move, the Dartmouth men’s basketball team has voted to unionize, just ahead of the NCAA’s March Madness tournament. It’s part of a larger movement of student-athletes seeking better pay and conditions, possibly transforming college sports.
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The college sports landscape has changed dramatically in the past decade, particularly when it comes to the rights and privileges of student-athletes. In 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court decided unanimously in NCAA v. Alston that students were allowed to earn money from their name, image and likeness. And shortly after President Biden was inaugurated, he appointed a national labor board president who has been supportive of student-athletes unionizing.
Dartmouth has pushed back against the unionization effort, calling it “inappropriate” and filing an appeal. For its part, the NCAA appears prepared for a long court fight to preserve amateurism in college athletics.
Jesse Dougherty reports on the business of college sports. He joins “Post Reports” to break down why Dartmouth’s unionization effort succeeded, and what it could mean for college teams nationwide.
Today’s show was produced by Peter Bresnan. It was mixed by Sean Carter and edited by Monica Campbell. Thanks also to Greg Schimmel.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Next week is the start of the most lucrative and highly televised event in college sports, March Madness. |
| 0:09.0 | Three seconds to go. Takes it all the way. Oh! |
| 0:14.0 | That's going to count. |
| 0:17.0 | Yes, it will! |
| 0:18.0 | Clock goes to two on, he will. |
| 0:20.0 | He'll turn around and it goes! |
| 0:22.0 | Be Jay on yes! |
| 0:24.0 | Shock it all in college basketball. |
| 0:28.0 | U.N. |
| 0:29.0 | It's massive business. |
| 0:31.0 | It's big business, underline, business underline underline. You probably cannot |
| 0:34.6 | uh, can not overstate how big business really. This tournament is. |
| 0:38.2 | Jesse Dockertie covers the business of college sports for the post. He says that the National Collegiate Athletics Association |
| 0:45.3 | makes over a billion dollars a year and March Madness, the National College Basketball |
| 0:50.6 | Tournament, accounts for a huge chunk of those profits. basketball tournament |
| 0:55.0 | really is is generated by the athletes you know that's it's the product |
| 0:59.0 | it really is is generated by the athletes you know that's it's the product it is the reason why people tune in it's the reason why You know, it's the product, it is the reason why people tune in, |
| 1:04.4 | it's the reason why we get so excited every year |
| 1:06.6 | for all the buzzer meters and the upsets in your bracket. |
| 1:08.6 | So the athletes are where this stems from, for sure. |
| 1:11.8 | But they are not professional athletes at least by the |
| 1:14.8 | letter of the law and the NCA's rules. The NCA or NCAA |
... |
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