Kain Colter and the Northwestern Wildcats have scored a big win at the expense of the NCAA and private universities. On Wednesday, the Chicago district of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruled that the college football players qualify as “employees” and are consequently entitled to unionize. As summarized in our prior blog, Colter and […]

It is quite the week for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (“NCAA”): not only has the NCAA Tournament begun, but also an antitrust class action lawsuit was filed this past Monday.   Four athletes, represented by Jeffrey Kessler, are alleging that the NCAA and five of the major athletic conferences (the Big Ten, Big 12, Pacific […]

The list of openly gay athletes is short.   Last year, former NBA player Jason Collins announced he is gay. Conner Mertens recently became the first active college football player to come out as bisexual.  Yet Collins was a serviceable journeyman center at best and Mertens is a kicker for the little-known Willamette University. While both […]

In a move that would change the face of college sports,  Northwestern Wildcats quarterback Kain Colter and his teammates have filed union cards with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). They have the backing of the United Steelworkers Union.  If they are granted collective bargaining rights by the NLRB, they would be formally represented by […]