Statement on NLRB ruling classifying Dartmouth men’s basketball Players as employees:

Today’s landmark NLRB ruling will improve the lives of all college athletes for generations to come.  In the history of the sports labor movement, change has always been initiated by the courageous efforts of Players who decided to stand up and demand their fair share.

While there is still work to be done, the message of this ruling is clear: college athletes are employees, entitled to basic rights and fair compensation for their labor that has created a multibillion-dollar industry.  These Dartmouth basketball Players should take pride in knowing that their efforts will be cemented in the history of sports labor activism.  I encourage Dartmouth College to accept the ruling and allow a fair union election to take place.   

Tony Clark

Executive Director, MLBPA

President, World Players Association