In a massive step for college athlete rights, the Dartmouth men’s basketball team on Tuesday voted 13-2 in favor of forming a union.

The historic election was the latest event to challenge the bedrock principles of the NCAA, which has long prided itself on protecting the concept of amateurism in collegiate sports. Now, it appears the landscape is poised for a shakeup, with the NCAA engaged in several concurrent legal battles regarding its relationship with its athletes.

While the unionization process is far from complete, Tuesday’s vote could signal a tipping point as the decision reverberates throughout the college sports landscape.

So, how did we get here, where do things stand and what’s next? Here’s what to know.

How we got to Tuesday’s vote

The broader push for college athletes to be treated as employees has been percolating for years, but this specific effort got off the ground last September, when 15 Dartmouth men’s basketball players filed a petition to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to unionize through a New England-based chapter of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), a labor union representing roughly 2 million workers across the U.S. and Canada.

The school opposed the move, but in February, NLRB regional director Laura Sacks ruled…

The Dartmouth men’s basketball team on Tuesday voted 13-2 in favor of forming a union in a historic election that could usher in a new phase of the movement for college athletes to be treated like employees.

The election, ordered by the National Labor Relations Board, took place on the college’s campus in Hanover, N.H. The university is expected to request a full review by the NLRB and could appeal to federal court, which could keep official recognition and collective bargaining months away.

The parties have five business days to file an objection to the election. Following certification of the election, the parties have another 10 business days to appeal the regional director ruling.

The university responded to the vote with a statement after the results were announced: “For decades, Dartmouth has been proud to build productive relationships with the five unions that are currently part of our campus community. We always negotiate in good faith and have deep respect for our 1,500 union colleagues, including the members of SEIU Local 560. In this isolated circumstance, however, the students on the men’s basketball team are not in any way employed by Dartmouth. For Ivy League students who are varsity athletes, academics are of primary importance, and athletic pursuit is…

The NCAA inches closer every day to a tipping point of dramatic overhaul. Years of tectonic shifts around college sports could soon usher in an era its leaders and administrators have long tried to avoid: the treatment of college athletes as employees.

The next milestone could come Tuesday, when the Dartmouth men’s basketball team will vote on whether to form a union. The university is countering by fighting a National Labor Relations Board regional director’s finding that the basketball players are employees and entitled to union representation, but the effort is just one of several concurrent legal battles challenging the bedrock principle of amateurism that the NCAA has long prided itself on maintaining.

Meanwhile, in the past three months federal judges have blocked the NCAA from enforcing rules barring the use of NIL deals in recruiting and rules that require a multiple-time transfer to sit out for a year before competing. Other ongoing lawsuits take aim at the organization and schools themselves for violating federal antitrust law by restricting athlete compensation. An unfavorable ruling in any one of multiple courtrooms across the country could send the NCAA careening into its uncharted new world.

“With these cases that are addressing one rule at a time, it’s…

Football trailblazer and Dartmouth legend Buddy Teevens died on Tuesday, six months after sustaining serious injuries from a bicycle accident, the school announced. He was 66 years old.

“Our family is heartbroken to inform you that our beloved ‘coach’ has peacefully passed away surrounded by family. Unfortunately, the injuries he sustained proved too challenging for even him to overcome,” the Teevens family said in a statement. “Throughout this journey, we consistently relayed the thoughts, memories, and love sent his way. Your kindness and letters of encouragement did not go unnoticed and were greatly appreciated by both Buddy and our family.”

“We are confident and take comfort in the fact that he passed away knowing how much he was loved and admired.”

Teevens is survived by his wife, Kirsten, their children Lindsay and Buddy Jr., and their four grandchildren. He had been an integral part of the Dartmouth community for most of his life, first as a prolific player and then as the head coach, serving two stints that stretched nearly 25 total years.

“This is tragic news for Dartmouth and the entire football world,” Dartmouth president Sian Leah Beilock and athletic director Mike Harrity said in an email sent to the school community. “Buddy not only was…

Fifteen Dartmouth men’s basketball players filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board to form a union, according to a list of docket activity on the NLRB’s website Thursday. Here’s what you need to know:

• Team managers and supervisors were excluded from the filing, which was issued with the help of the New England-based Local 560 chapter of the Service Employees International Union.
• This isn’t the first effort to form a union of college athletes, but it could be the first successful attempt. In 2015, Northwestern football players pushed to form a union, but their case was eventually dismissed by the NLRB.
• There are also cases pending with the board related to college athletes; a November hearing is scheduled for a case related to the NLRB issuing a complaint against the NCAA, Pac-12 Conference and USC over unfair labor practices.

Backstory

In February, the National College Players Association filed an unfair labor practice charge to the NLRB against the NCAA, Pac-12 and USC as joint employers of FBS football players, men’s basketball players and women’s basketball players. That move was the latest of multiple legal attempts by many to reshape how college athletes can earn compensation for the billions of dollars college sports bring in.

The NCAA has…

Dartmouth football coach Buddy Teevens suffered serious injuries in a bicycle accident in St. Augustine, Fla., while riding last month that resulted in his right leg being amputated, his wife, Kirsten, shared in a statement Tuesday.

Teevens, 66, was hospitalized a month ago after being injured in the accident. Kirsten said Tuesday that while Teevens “is experiencing many positive improvements,” he had the leg amputated because of “the severity of the injury.” Teevens is an avid cyclist, Dartmouth said.

“We would like to thank everyone for the incredible outpouring of love and support for Buddy. It has been nothing short of amazing and we are so grateful,” she said. “He is alert and communicating with us and ready for transfer to a premier rehab facility to continue healing. Spinal cord injuries are challenging, and if anybody is up for the challenge, it is Buddy. We appreciate your continued respect of our privacy as we navigate this ongoing recovery process as a family.”

Teevens is the Big Green’s all-time winningest coach. He has been a Division I head football coach for more than 30 years, including 23 at his alma mater Dartmouth.

His first coaching run with the Big Green was from 1987 to 1991, and he returned in 2005. Dartmouth won a share of the Ivy League…

As the nation turns its attention to college basketball this weekend, fans will be watching what’s happening on the court. Lawyers and other interested parties will continue to track what’s happening off of it.

The NCAA’s business model is under attack from all sides, with multiple cases challenging the organization’s refusal to grant athletes employee status. And last week, two athletes took specific aim at one of college sports’ most recognizable and prestigious conferences.

Brown University basketball players Grace Kirk, who currently plays for the women’s basketball team, and Tamenang Choh, who played on the men’s basketball team until 2022, sued their university and the seven other Ivy League schools over their policy against offering athletic scholarships, alleging that it amounts to illegal price-fixing in violation of federal antitrust law.

It’s the newest intriguing challenge to the status quo. Here’s what you need to know.

What the case alleges

The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Connecticut by lawyers representing Kirk and Choh. The plaintiffs are seeking class-action certification on behalf of current and former Ivy League athletes dating back to March 7, 2019.

At issue is the fact that Ivy League athletes aren’t reimbursed in the form of…

Ten current college athletes have signed on to a public campaign advocating for a more equitable allocation of athletic department revenue. The athletes are asking for a share of the revenue their teams drive — split equally among all the athletes on the team — as well as the expansion of scholarships to cover six years, the protection of current NIL freedoms from Congressional involvement and the institution of scholarships for Ivy League athletes. Here’s what you need to know.

• The effort is led by the National College Players Association, which has supported public campaigns in the past such as #NotNCAAProperty, in which athletes pushed for NIL rights and reform during March Madness in the spring of 2021.
• This campaign is focused on restrictions that limit direct payment from schools and conferences to athletes, as well as potential Congressional involvement in NIL regulations that would add restrictions around what opportunities are permissible for athletes to pursue. The campaign will use the “FairRevShare” hashtag on social media.
• Michigan basketball player Hunter Dickinson and Pitt basketball player Jamarius Burton will both wear a letter “S” for “Share” written on their hand when their teams play each other in Wednesday night’s men’s basketball…