I. The Employment Question

The National Labor Relations Board, or NLRB, administers the National Labor Relations Act, or NLRA. The NLRA protects employees’ rights to create or join unions, engage in collective bargaining, and participate in collective actions such as strikes. However, a person is only entitled to the rights guaranteed in the NLRA if he or she is an employee, as defined by the act. This issue raises one of the most important questions in collegiate sports: are student athletes...