Dartmouth players unionizing could result in 'domino effect' for college sports, expert says

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The Dartmouth men’s basketball team has taken a historic first step in challenging the norms of college athletics, voting Tuesday to unionize. 

The team voted 13-2 to join Service Employees International Union Local 560, which already represents some of the school’s employees, in an election supervised by the National Labor Relations Board.

The vote comes after college athletes began profiting off their name, image and likeness.

However, schools are not legally required to pay their athletes.

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Members of the Dartmouth Big Green watch during a game against the Columbia Lions Feb. 16, 2024, in New York City. (Adam Gray/Getty Images)

The vote to unionize was met with immediate pushback from the school, but one expert says the school may be fighting a losing battle.

Michael Schreck, the founder of the Collegiate Sports Management Group, says the vote could be a huge step forward for college athletes.

"You gotta give the kids credit for trying to do it. How does it get legitimized? I don’t know. Do other players at schools have the wherewithal, the bandwidth or the hutzpah to go try to pull this off? I don’t know," Schreck said in a recent interview with Fox News Digital.

"But, hey, they got the ear of somebody, and they banded together and tried to figure this out. I’m really excited to watch and see how that all plays out.

"They do have an argument. … If it all goes through the way they want it to, it’s going to be a domino effect quickly."

Dartmouth Big Green players huddle before a game against the Harvard Crimson Feb. 10, 2024, at Lavietes Pavilion in Allston, Mass.  (Erica