Re: Men’s basketball team votes to unionize
We are three former Dartmouth basketball teammates. Although we have not created any formal committee or petition, we have been in communication with several former Dartmouth athletes who share the views expressed in this letter.
We were deeply concerned to learn that the current men’s basketball team has voted to unionize. This initiative has brought a whole new meaning to the term “March Madness.” It is difficult to express how ill-advised and destructive this decision could be, both for the future of Dartmouth and of Ivy League athletics at large. Since the creation of the league in 1954, Ivy League sports have enjoyed a unique standing in the NCAA. Its athletes — who lack the benefits of athletic scholarships or the trappings of so-called “big-time” college sports — are students before they are athletes. Nationwide, nearly all Division I sports teams generate less revenue than it costs to field a team. It is in the context of these economic realities that the current basketball team heedlessly felt they needed a union.
When we were students, none of us ever believed we had been hired to play basketball at Dartmouth. Rather, we felt privileged to represent our school while fulfilling our academic requirements and graduating from one of the top colleges in the country. We are beyond disappointed that the current team seems to feel differently. Even more disturbing is the very real prospect that unionization will become the norm in the Ivy League, perhaps spelling the end of Division I sports in the Ivy League.
Thus, we urge the Board of Trustees to pursue all available legal remedies to curb the unionization of sports at Dartmouth and to preserve the priceless tradition of Dartmouth athletics.
Sincerely yours,
John Mathias ’69
William Stableford ’69
Robert Sturges ’69
John Mathias, William Stableford and Robert Sturges played for the Dartmouth men’s basketball team during their time at the College. Letters to the Editor represent the views of their author(s), which are not necessarily those of The Dartmouth.
