Earlier today, the Dartmouth College men's basketball team voted 13-2 in favor of unionizing. 

Earlier in February, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) regional manager ruled that these basketball players could be considered employees of the school and in turn, have the right to unionize. As employees, these athletes also have the right to benefits and appropriate working conditions and can negotiate pay. 

Dartmouth has already come out with a heated statement against the vote:

“For Ivy League students who are varsity athletes, academics are of primary importance, and athletic pursuit is part of the educational experience. Classifying these students as employees simply because they play basketball is as unprecedented as it is inaccurate. We, therefore, do not believe unionization is appropriate.”

This ruling and vote could have a huge impact on the future of college sports. 

Other teams have tried to unionize, but this is the first successful case that we have seen. It is expected that Dartmouth will appeal this decision, but it wouldn't be surprising to see other teams start to follow suit.

In 2014, the Northwestern football team attempted to claim employee status and unionize. However, they were unsuccessful due to the fact that the NLRB only operates in the private sector. Dartmouth basketball was able to use this to its advantage, as Dartmouth is a private institution. 

There are a few more NLRB cases to watch out for in college athletics. One of the bigger ones is USC football and men's and women's basketball teams trying to claim employee status of USC, the Pac-12 Conference, and the NCAA. It is uncertain when a decision will be made about this case.