Stanford becomes first Power 4 program to form CFBPA chapter, advancing college athlete unionization effort

Stanford football players announced the formation of a College Football Players Association chapter on Monday, making Stanford the first team to formally partner with the CFBPA, according to ESPN. The formation marks a significant step in a labor-organizing effort that seeks to eventually unionize college athletes and establish collective bargaining between players and conferences.

Fisher Anderson, a center, and Ernest Cooper, a linebacker and redshirt senior, lead the Stanford chapter, per ESPN's reporting. Anderson told ESPN: "I'm not sure on a timeline. But my personal opinion is that it's inevitable more so than possible. It needs to happen. The question is when." Cooper stated: "As a Power 4 college football player you're working out year-round, you're getting paid. I don't see why people wouldn't see us as employees."

The CFBPA, founded by executive director Jason Stahl in July 2021 weeks after college players began earning from name, image, and likeness deals, has worked to build interest in locker rooms for five years, according to ESPN. The organization plans to establish bargaining units on a conference-by-conference basis and, if it signs up the majority of players at every school in a conference, will take steps to formally unionize, per ESPN's reporting. Anderson and Cooper told ESPN it could be years before players are able to bargain with ACC officials.

Several other programs in the ACC and power conferences are on the cusp of forming their own chapters, according to CFBPA executive director Jason Stahl, though he declined to say which schools or how many players from each team need to join before they elect leaders and form a chapter, per ESPN. Athletes.org signed up the full UAB roster in 2024, the only other organizer to announce something similar to a team chapter to date, according to ESPN's reporting.

Stanford head coach Tavita Pritchard and general manager Andrew Luck are aware of the decision and did not express an opinion for or against it, per ESPN. A Stanford football team spokesman declined to comment. Anderson said: "I've had open conversations with all of our top level administration about it. I love this university, and I think the presence of a players' association only enhances what we're doing."

However, the CFBPA faces significant structural and political obstacles. Efforts to unionize athletes at Dartmouth and Southern California fizzled in 2025 after the Trump administration installed a more conservative National Labor Relations Board, according to ESPN. In some states, public university employees are not allowed to unionize because they work for the government, creating a barrier to organizing at many schools, per ESPN. Cooper acknowledged fear among players: "A lot of guys want to dip their toe in, but they're scared of retaliation from a coach or someone above them."

NCAA and power conference leaders, including ACC commissioner Jim Phillips, oppose collective bargaining and prefer federal law to address college sports issues, according to ESPN. Several NCAA and power conference leaders spent time on Capitol Hill in the past week urging politicians to vote for a proposed bill that addresses many of college sports' current issues. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said it's unlikely the proposed bill will move to a full vote this summer, per ESPN's reporting. Several other attempts to address the NCAA's issues on Capitol Hill have failed to reach a full vote in either chamber of Congress.

Anderson said he would eventually like for ACC football players to negotiate safety standards, practice time, mental health benefits, league-minimum salaries, and a salary cap, according to ESPN. Schools can spend up to $21 million in the coming season on direct payments to athletes, but many of the richest programs have built football payrolls that more than double this cap by arranging third-party NIL payments for players, per ESPN's reporting. Anderson said he wasn't sure if college football players would sustain a work stoppage if needed, stating "To be honest, I don't know. I think it would depend on what sort of funding we have in reserve." Players who have signed up for the CFBPA do not currently pay any dues, according to ESPN.