"Nobody's ready for that": Big East commissioner Val Ackermann wary of "unintended consequences" as debate around NIL continues

Big East commissioner Val Ackerman recently commented on what awaits collegiate sports after Dartmouth basketball players voted to join a union.

With that, Big Green became the first unionized college sports team in the U.S. That could prove a huge change for college athletes, who have always been considered amateurs by the NCAA.

In conversation with the Front Office Sports podcast, Ackerman was asked if the NCAA or Big East is ready for an era where players could become employees and get involved in collective bargaining. The commissioner said:

"Nobody's ready for that. There is a quid pro quo already for the athletes who are attending schools and playing for these programs ... There is a push now to go further than that and to declare them employees. That would be subject to a minimum wage, overtime, worker's comp in a taxable relationship."

"The benefits that athletes get right now are not taxable, so the notion that the relationship could be transformed into a taxable relationship would be very dramatic (and) could have an unintended consequence."

Val Ackerman also added that while the current batch of students may want that, there's no assurance that players who join in the future would prefer that as well.

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Dartmouth's vote predicts big changes in the NCAA

Dartmouth voted 13-2 on Mar. 5 to join Service Employees International Union Local 560. Juniors Cade Haskins and Romeo Myrthil, who led the motion, said:

“Today is a big day for our team. We stuck together all season and won this election.

"It is self-evident that we, as students, can also be both campus workers and union members. Dartmouth seems to be stuck in the past. It’s time for the age of amateurism to end.”

The NCAA made big moves in 2021 when it decided to allow college players to sign deals with brands and make money based on their name, likeness and image. That marked the first time in college sports that athletes had any source of income.

Now, with Dartmouth choosing to form a union, questions arise about how schools would take that. If it were to become employment with contracts, there are concerns that universities may drop athletic scholarships while also prioritizing the sports that would bring in the money.

That means besides football and basketball, other sports may lose support from schools.

What are your thoughts on the move to unionize by Dartmouth? Do you think student-athletes forming unions is a right move? Let's know in the comment section below.