Northwestern football players seek to join union

Another example of how ESPN eventually ruins everything that it
lays it's hands on.

 

It's so awful to see people wanting more.

 

I hope this doesn't affect the administrators like the Fiesta Bowl guy making $500k a year!!

 

Sure it is, but why should they be satisfied with $5,000 when somebody might be willing to pay them $10,000 for their autograph? Coaches aren't satisfied with their contracts they can get outside money from sneaker companies.

 

Well, that could be a sticking point. Because there ARE some programs in scattered sports -- UConn women's hoops comes to mind -- that DO create revenue. Are you going to deal with amateurism on a program-by-program basis?

 

Twenty years ago, I think the players/student-athletes would been able to garner real support from the students. Now that it's about $130,000 for four years at a private school/out-of-state with a public or even $60,000 for in-state, I'm curious as to how many students (or their parents) who are not on an athletic scholarship would support this move.

 

Why would that be the sticking point? Nobody would be preventing the UConn players -- maybe along with other top D-1 women's programs -- from organizing and petitioning the NLRB themselves.

 

Why would it matter whether other students supported them or not?

 

I've written on this issue several times, but the one point that is always the problem with paying college athletes is the number of athletes at each school. It just isn't feasible to pay athletes at the college level simply because there are so many.

 

Only football and basketball players from one school are organizing. There is no feasibility issue. Either they're declared employees or not. Also, keep in mind that the athletes who signed their union cards will be out of school before the case is settled. The players are essentially doing this for the athletes who come after them.

 

NYU grad students recently won their fight to unionize...

http://www.labornotes.org/blogs/2014/01/grad-employees-re-unionize-new-york-university-first-country

 

Yeah, that's gonna go over really well, discrimination suits notwithstanding.