# NLRB says Dartmouth basketball can unionize

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nlrb-says-dartmouth-basketball-can-unionize/997201>\
**Category:** The Game Room\
**Tags:** basketball-nba\
**Created:** [February 6, 2024, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nlrb-says-dartmouth-basketball-can-unionize/997201 "2024-02-06T19:58:49Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\
**Post date:** [February 6, 2024, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nlrb-says-dartmouth-basketball-can-unionize/997201/1 "2024-02-06T19:58:49Z")

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I’m thinking this pretty much kills the NCAA. Any thoughts? I haven’t decided if I’m in favor or not.

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**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\
**Post date:** [February 6, 2024, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nlrb-says-dartmouth-basketball-can-unionize/997201/2 "2024-02-06T20:07:39Z")

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Interesting interpretation of “your status as your work makes us money”. Not saying they’re wrong, just saying it’s interesting that working for free room and board and classes makes you an employee. Now the IRS will come after them to tax them on the value of those things as income.

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**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\
**Post date:** [February 7, 2024, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nlrb-says-dartmouth-basketball-can-unionize/997201/3 "2024-02-07T19:54:15Z")

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How does it “kill the NCAA”? Just because Dartmouth’s (e.g.) men’s basketball players belong to a union doesn’t mean that the school suddenly has to start paying them. Even if it did, the response could be, “Okay, we’re paying you minimum wage - oh, and we are reducing the values of each of your scholarships by a matching amount.” (Of course, that part wouldn’t affect the walk-ons.)

On the other hand, allowing players to unionize could be a good thing in terms of having to deal with NIL, especially if it’s the school doing the licensing, which might be allowed starting later this year.

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**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\
**Post date:** [February 7, 2024, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nlrb-says-dartmouth-basketball-can-unionize/997201/4 "2024-02-07T20:30:37Z")

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There are no athletic scholarships in the Ivy League, so that’s not part of the issue.

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**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\
**Post date:** [February 7, 2024, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nlrb-says-dartmouth-basketball-can-unionize/997201/5 "2024-02-07T21:01:48Z")

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I think it’ll be interesting if this expands to other categories of students like graduate students or ones employee part-time by the institution. Lots of them seem to try to have it both ways so that something like an injury shouldn’t be covered by workers comp because “the injured party is a student” and such.