As Dartmouth men's basketball players move toward forming college sports' first union, a majority of Americans oppose college athletes forming a union, but younger respondents are more supportive. .
Most adults (55%) don't think NCAA athletes should be allowed to form unions that allow them to bargain collectively with their schools as employees, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. ing.
But younger Americans, Democrats, and independents are more open to unionizing. About 6 in 10 adults under the age of 45 support unionization for college athletes. The rate drops to 36% for those aged 45 to 59 and 23% for those aged 60 and over.
Across party lines, 56% of Democrats and about half of independents say athletes should be allowed to form unions. Only 23% of Republicans approve.
Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, a former major college football coach and a harsh critic of unions in general, said in a recent interview with Fox News that athletes unionizing “definitely will disrupt college sports.” It will kill me.”
“Last time I looked, they weren't employees. These students are student-athletes. And if you want to mess something up by getting the federal government involved, try to make student-athletes employees. “It's going to happen,” said Tuberville, who sponsored the college sports bill that would have blocked the employee status.
NCAA President Charlie Baker and other college sports leaders have been lobbying Congress for years to pass federal legislation regulating how athletes can be compensated for the use of their names, images and likenesses. ing.
Tuberville and West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin sponsored one of several bills addressing NIL and other college sports reforms introduced in both the House and Senate over the past four years. Lawmakers have focused on more pressing issues, and none of them have gained support.
In recent days, college sports leaders' focus has shifted to the NCAA's antitrust protections that prevent athletes from being considered employees, thanks to looming lawsuits.
Baker and others argue that the majority of the NCAA's 1,100 member schools cannot afford to treat players as employees, and that fewer teams would sponsor them if players were classified this way.
According to an AP-NORC poll, 55% of nonwhite adults support allowing college athletes to unionize. Only 34% of white adults say college athletes should be allowed to unionize.
“This country is not built on unions, but when unions started, it kind of secured a place for everyone, no matter what their occupation, especially the blue-collar ones,” said Eric, a black man from Pennsylvania. said McWilliams, 62. He is a union member and voted. “These college athletes aren't making millions of dollars like the pros. They don't really have anything to fall back on. If they get injured, it's over.”
Last month, the regional director of the National Labor Relations Board ruled that Dartmouth men's basketball players qualify as employees, clearing the way for team members to vote if they wish to join the union.
On March 5, the players voted 13-2 to join Service Employees International Union Local 560, which already represents a portion of Dartmouth's workers. The school is seeking a reconsideration, essentially challenging the regional director's initial ruling, but that would result in a process for determining whether Dartmouth needs to negotiate with the players. may be prolonged.
Still, those who have advocated for some, if not all, college athletes to be recognized as employees and for schools and conferences that compete at the highest levels to receive a greater share of the revenue generated by college football and basketball. For us, this was an important milestone. level.
Media and marketing rights for the NCAA men's Division I basketball tournament, which begins next week, generated $945 million in revenue for the association and its member schools last year.
“It's time for universities to stop wasting time and money fighting athletes in court or lobbying Congress to take away athlete rights, and instead negotiate with athletes on things like revenue sharing and health and safety protections.” It’s time to start,” the senator said. said Chris Murphy (D-Connecticut).
According to the survey, 53% of American adults say universities with major athletic programs should give a portion of the revenue from broadcast rights to athletes. But less than half support giving athletes exemptions from additional spending, salaries and certain academic courses needed to graduate.
“I think the credit for progress always goes to the athletes,” said Ramogi Huma, executive director of the National Collegiate Players Association, an advocacy group that advocates for college athletes in income-generating programs to be considered employees. Told. “This is brick by brick.”
In 2015, Huma helped organize a labor movement among Northwestern football players that began similar to the movement at Dartmouth, and the regional NLRB board ruled that players could vote to unionize. was lowered. The first judgment was ultimately set aside.
While the players appeared to be acting independently in the Dartmouth incident, Baker and other college athletic leaders say most of the players they interact with do not want to become school employees. , has been repeatedly stated.
Isaac Vance is a former college football player at Kent State University who finished his college career last season after serving on the NCAA's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee for three years.
Vance recently told The Associated Press that a more specialized model for college athletics, including things like employee status, unions and collective bargaining, could end up having a negative impact on college athletes. He said he was concerned.
“It just…gets rid of the academic model that so many great experiences have been built on, and then turns into a semi-pro league. And to be honest, at that point, especially in football and basketball, it really costs money. “It's both fun and business,” Vance said.
