College Athlete Employment Path Murky for Moneymakers, Students

Legal scholars and industry observers remain divided over which college athletes should be considered employees under federal labor law in light of the recent organizing push.

Speaking at a Fordham University Law School event Friday, John Holden, an associate business professor at Indiana University, said the question would split on whether a particular team generated revenue for the school, while Alicia Jessop, a sports professor at Pepperdine University, said the issue would hinge on the level of control exerted by individual programs.

The issue represents one of the next big legal questions in college athletics, which has been grappling with ...