While the House of Representatives reviews whether student-athletes should not be considered employees of their universities, a group of leaders from smaller schools seeks to rewrite how college athletics is governed.
The goal is to give athletes more authority and treat them like students rather than employees. Earlier this year, the National Labor Relations Board found that Dartmouth had enough control over the men’s basketball players that they met the definition of an employee. The school appealed that case. The proposal from smaller schools comes less than a week after a U.S. House committee approved a bill that would prevent student-athletes from being considered as employees of a school, conference or governing body like the NCAA. With that, it’s up to the House of Representatives to vote or debate the bill.
While the aftermath of the House v. NCAA case is far from settled, the idea of student-athletes being considered as employees and thus eliminating amateurism in college athletics is a fear shared among leaders of smaller conferences. A report from The Athletic stated that the Johnson v.