College Athlete Employee Bids Still in Play Despite Trump 2.0

College athletes and labor organizers will have to lean on federal courts and grassroots activism to continue efforts to gain employee rights under a Republican administration they expect will not be friendly to their cause.

In the weeks leading up to President Donald Trump’s second inauguration, unions and advocacy groups pulled cases from the National Labor Relations Board that sought to cement athletes’ employment status. The moves were made in anticipation of a conservative shift at the board and in the legal and political landscape.

But organizers and academics say the NCAA and colleges will face more lawsuits and public ...