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Politics could decide whether student-athletes are employees
Hey there,
As much as we don’t want it to be, college sports has become a political issue. Seriously — with questions swirling about compensation, business models, and employment status, we must wrestle with politics in order to see what the future of college sports could look like.
In fact, a combination of recent political and legal changes are already doing that. In 2024, we’ve already seen two events drastically alter the question of student-athlete employment. The third — the Presidential election — could actually decide the fate of the issue once and for all.
Don’t worry — this edition may talk about politics, but we’re not picking sides. Just the facts for us.
We’re excited to offer this story to our All-Access subscribers. Don’t worry if you’re not signed up yet — It’s super easy to do so, and it only costs about a cup of coffee a month. Click here to see our plans, and you’ll thank us later!
— Cole, Justin and Collin
Politics could decide whether student-athletes are employees
Among the foremost questions surrounding college sports right now, one looms perhaps above them all: the question of student-athlete employment.
It’s been a hot topic for years, but the NIL era really brought us to where we are now. The NCAA’s longstanding amateurism arguments have become less convincing in recent years, now that fans are more presently aware of how much money is in college sports. And issues surrounding compensation are fundamentally tied up in discussions around employment.
But the issue of student-athlete employment is complicated. Really complicated.
Earlier this year, we saw the Dartmouth basketball team form a union, which led many to believe student-athlete employment was a foregone conclusion. But a few things have happened since then that have cast considerable doubt on that idea.
The confluence of three events could spell trouble for those advocating for student-athlete employment. These three events are fundamentally tied in with one another, proceeding from each other, and building into a massive obstacle for this group. Today we’re going to talk about those three events, one by one.
