To form a more perfect union

The GIST: As you read, the Dartmouth men’s basketball team voted 13-2 to unionize yesterday, taking a first step toward recognized university employment in a jarring rebuke of the NCAA’s long-suffering amateurism model.

The context: Last month, a National Labor Review Board (NLRB) regional director ruled that the players are university employees, paving the way for yesterday’s vote. The decision affirmed the team’s desire for fair compensation for their labor, including wages and health care benefits, in a hard break from what they consider an exploitative system.

• Dartmouth has already appealed the February 5th ruling to the NLRB’s national board. If the school is successful, it won’t be the first time the board overturned an athlete unionization attempt — Northwestern football players’ 2014 vote to unionize was denied on a technicality.

• But if the ruling stands, Dartmouth players can negotiate with the school for compensation and become the first NCAA athletes directly paid for their labor. They’ve also indicated their intention to expand the union to other sports and schools within the Ivy League, which notably lacks athletic scholarships.

Zooming out: Following this new precedent, athletes at other private schools (the NLRB does not have jurisdiction over public institutions) could unionize now — and if they do, the NCAA would likely have to give up on amateurism to ensure fairness. Plus, another NLRB case against private school USC, the Pac-12, and the NCAA could map a similar path for public schools.

• As for what happens next, there are more questions than answers, especially for international athletes. But one thing’s certain: The NCAA will never be the same.

The GIST: Conference tournaments are underway with 32 March Madness auto-bids on the line. Expect mayhem (especially in the cutthroat Big 12, ACC, and Pac-12) as key players’ Sunday knee injuries have added a whole new layer of unpredictability to the postseason.

Elizabeth Kitley (No. 11 Virginia Tech): The 2023 Player of the Year (POY) finalist and three-time ACC POY has been having another banner season, but her injury during the Hokies’ loss to Virginia has jeopardized the star center’s campaign to lead her team to back-to-back Final Fours. The diagnosis (for her knee, at least) is unclear, but judging by her coach’s reaction, it doesn’t look good.

• Kitley leads Virginia Tech in points, points per game, rebounds, and blocks by a wide margin. Even with fellow all–ACC honoree Georgia Amoore’s offensive prowess, the Hokies’ playoff picture is grim until Kitley returns.

Mackenzie Holmes (No. 12 Indiana): The Hoosiers are primed for a deep postseason run…or they were until Holmes, a Big Ten first-team forward who trails only No. 3 Iowa’s Caitlin Clark in conference scoring, went down in Indiana’s win over Maryland. If the Hoosiers’ scoring and rebounding leader can’t recover, they could hit their ceiling — and their season’s end — quickly.

Molly Davis (No. 3 Iowa): The Hawkeyes are proof that there’s no winning without the entire team — Caitlin Clark, who averaged 31 points in their four losses, can’t do it alone. The good news? Starting guard and headband model Davis will return from her gruesome-looking injury. The bad? No one knows when, and timing’s crucial as they enter two single-elimination tournaments.