In March of 2014, the National Labor Relations Board ruled that Northwestern University football players could unionize, and thus become the first college athletes' union in the country.
This was a big deal, of course, because universities have been unfairly exploiting student-athletes essentially forever thanks to the way the NCAA works, and this would have potentially been a first step in those athletes one day getting paid for the services that they provide.
The university appealed the initial ruling, however, and the NLRB overturned their decision.
From Mason Levinson of Bloomberg:
In its unanimous decision, the labor board skirted the issue of whether the players are employees and left open the door to other college athletes winning the right to unionize.
As time goes on and the issue of college athletes not receiving compensation continues to get national attention, it's likely that at some point, things will eventually change for the better. But this latest ruling shows that an attempt to unionize, at least by just one school individually, is not the way to kick that door down.
Send all complaints, compliments, and tips to sportstips@complex.com.
