Northwestern football players seek to join union

I'm no tax expert, so someone who is can feel free to chime in here, but if they had to claim that $60K as income, wouldn't they also be able to claim that $60K as a deduction for education expenses, leaving them with a net income of $0?

Not to mention, the tax rate is only 25 percent on net incomes from around $36K to $90K, meaning that they'd be paying $15K on taxes instead of your $20K, even before any deductions or credits.

Now, if they were to be classified as employees, and they took their $60K meant for their education and blew it on a car and hookers, then they'd have to pay.

 

They've never been allowed to negotiate. It's a system that has been imposed on them.

Schools have already decided they're worth at least a full scholarship under the current system. Why would all of a sudden the athletes' value take a fall because they would be able to seek more value?

It's like MLB and free agency. Regular players didn't suddenly find themselves with lower salaries just because the reserve clause was thrown out and stars were able to leverage one team against another for higher pay. The regular players saw their pay go up as well.

 

The maximum deduction is $4,000.

Taxing the value of a scholarship sure would keep things unequal in education, which is what tony is after anyway.

It would also lead to a massive tax increase across the board in America since very few people, particularly at a place like Northwestern, are paying close to face value.

 

Or, the NCAA could just avoid this conundrum and let them continue to be "student-athletes" by giving them the full cost of attendance, and letting them get whatever they can get on top of that.

 

I hate to jump back to this because I missed the last 3 pages, but Title IX is part of the United States Labor Laws, just inside the Education Amendment.

 

No, Title IX is a 1972 amendment to the Higher Education Act of 1965 barring "discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance." It has nothing to do with labor.

 

Women's basketball teams at, say UConn or Tennessee, could. But, in no way should college athletes be considered employees.
http://ronclements.blogspot.com/2014/01/a-college-athlete-union-is-good-idea-in.html

 

I have no doubt that the unintended consequences will happen if players become classified as employees or some newly created category.

But, so. The whole system needs to be blown up and while people will blame the athletes, the NCAA could have avoided so much of this had they done the right thing or shown any history of being out to protect the players.

 

What eventually needs to happen is that revenue-producing sports -- football, men's basketball, and in selected cases baseball, hockey and women's basketball -- need to be redefined as contracted commercial public-relations enterprises conducted on behalf of the universities.

Students will be contract employees with no educational requirements or expectations (they will be allowed to enroll in classes if they so choose but other than minor schedule adjustments no academic concessions will be made for them). Athletes may receive a tuition discount to encourage class attendance while they are on campus participating in sports, but if they choose not to take classes anyway, that's their decision.

Players will be paid a salary reached by collective bargaining. Those able to negotiate outside income (endorsements, etc) will be allowed to do so.

All other sports will be reorganized as strictly educational/fitness-related activities and will be conducted on the general level of Division III or large high school athletic competitions: strictly regional competition, limited game and practice schedules, limited and minimal teevee exposure, players fully expected to be students in good standing, eligibility standards strictly enforced, any financial aid divided PRECISELY 50-50 between male and female students.

 

But they can negotiate, as we discussed on another thread.

"Coach, I like your program and would like to play for you, but I am not signing that binding letter-of-intent. Those are my terms. Let's negotiate."

Yet almost no one does.