There were a bunch of folks who when I posted that this was the next logical step in the initial NIL threads told me I was "lost". Oops.
"The National Labor Relations Board has directed its Los Angeles regional office to pursue charges of unfair labor practices against USC, the Pac-12 and the NCAA. The NLRB will argue that athletes at USC are employees of those three groups and that their rights have been unlawfully restricted. If they are successful, athletes who play men's basketball, women's basketball or football at any private college in the NCAA will be granted the rights of employees, including the freedom to create unions."
And for those thinking when this eventually gets to SCOTUS that the case is a loser, think again. First, the O' Bannon case which opened the door to NIL went against the NCAA 9-0. And Justice Kavanugh (not exactly our most Liberal Justice) is the one who opened the door for this when he wrote the majority opinion in the O'Bannon case: "Justice Brett Kavanaugh said college athletes could find a more fair path toward sharing in the revenue they help to create by establishing some kind of collective bargaining group."
This will take years, but I think it's logical that this will eventually happen. Major college athletics are the only significant US sport(s) where the athletes are currently not represented by a Union.
https://www.espn.com/college-footba...rsue-unlawful-labor-practices-usc-pac-12-ncaa