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In contrast, representatives for OSU administration asserted that the players are students who play basketball as part of their college experience, not for wages. “Athletes — or students, period — performing physically to the peak of their possibilities,” is why OSU sponsors women’s basketball, the school’s provost and executive vice president Roy Haggerty said during the September hearing. “So women’s basketball and other intercollegiate sports allows athletes in those sports to perform to the maximum level of their abilities.” Haggerty and other OSU officials argued that basketball is an enhancement of the college experience, but academics is the primary purpose. Shivers injured a ligament in her right knee during her senior year of high school, and then tore a ligament in her left knee during her first year at OSU. “I do have some knee surgeries in my future, so I hope some things like that could be covered in the future.” Shivers and Villa were among 10 out of 13 team members that signed the petition to unionize. The players described an atmosphere where they are already receiving compensation in the form of scholarships, stipends, and most recently revenue-sharing for use of their name, image and likeness. “I hope that if we get seen as employees that people on my team will get paid fairly,” Jenna Villa, second-year shooting guard, said at one of the September hearings. “And also healthcare benefits, protection as players, and just being able to have our own voice in what happens to us and make sure it’s fair.” Haggerty and Villa spoke during hearings held in mid-September at the university’s campus.
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