Final answer:
Sports unions countered monopsony owners by forming player associations to negotiate better conditions, employing strategies used widely by labor unions in various industries to protect their rights.
Step-by-step explanation:
Sports unions began to rise in the battle between monopoly unions and monopsony owners by forming player associations. This strategy was aimed at leveraging collective bargaining power to negotiate better salaries and work conditions for players. The context for this was a broader labor movement where labor unions aimed to protect their rights and interests, often facing challenges from businesses and changes in the economy and laws. In industries with monopsony owners, who have significant control over the market, unions were essential in trying to balance the power dynamic and improve wages even though this could potentially lead to a decrease in employment levels within those industries.