The bid for college sports' first-ever labor union is dead. The question at the heart of the debate remains unanswered.
The National Labor Relations Board on Monday chose not to rule whether Northwestern University's scholarship football players are employees. The decision didn't address whether athletes at another private school or a group from multiple schools would have more success in another attempt to unionize.
"The NLRB has said: 'Aim higher. Your single-school approach doesn't work for us,'" said Brian Paul, a labor attorney for Michael Best & Friedrich in Chicago.
The NLRB's unanimous decision came 17 months after its regional director in Chicago ruled that Northwestern's scholarship football players should be allowed to form a union.