Northwestern Players move to "unionize"

[niko]

http://www.universityherald.com/arti...t-athletes.htm

They may not be paid for playing on the field, but a group of student-athletes want representation from a labor union.

ESPN's "Outside the Lines" reported that, for the first time in the history of college sports, student-athletes are making moves to unionize and be recognized as "employees." On behalf of the Northwestern University football team, National College Players Association (NCPA) president Ramogi Huma filed a petition at the National Labor Relations Board's (NLRB) regional office in Chicago.

"This is about finally giving college athletes a seat at the table," Huma, a former UCLA linebacker and NCPA founder, told OTL. "Athletes deserve an equal voice when it comes to their physical, academic and financial protections."

The NLRB is a federal body that recognizes groups that may seek collective bargaining rights. Huma formed the NCPA in 2001 as an advocacy group for he and his fellow college athletes.

He told OTL Northwestern quarterback Kain Colter first approached him with the idea last spring. Colter wanted a union for college athletes so they could try and improve conditions under which they play sports and help earn money for their school and for the NCAA.

"The action we're taking isn't because of any mistreatment by Northwestern," Colter said. "We love Northwestern. The school is just playing by the rules of their governing body, the NCAA. We're interested in trying to help all players - at USC, Stanford, Oklahoma State, everywhere. It's about protecting them and future generations to come."

At the national NCAA convention, president Mark Emmert and the leaders of the Division I power conferences (SEC, Big Ten, ACC, Pac-12 and Big 12) are reportedly discussing ways to give more legislative power to athletic directors and conference heads. The "legislative autonomy" would allow conference and athletic department leaders to make decisions like provide certain benefits and stipends for players. However, some student-athletes have said they feel unrepresented in those discussions.

"Right now the NCAA is like a dictatorship," Colter told OTL. "No one represents us in negotiations. The only way things are going to change is if players have a union."

The United Steelworker's union has provided technical support for the NCAP's movement to unionize college sports. The group's political director and a liaison to the NCAP, Tim Waters, said the NCAA's "greed" brought this movement upon themselves.

"The NCAA is a train wreck waiting to happen," Waters told OTL. "What brought them to this moment is they couldn't control their greed. They put all this money in the system."

The NCAA is also in the midst of a lawsuit with former UCLA basketball player Ed O'Bannon, who is suing for compensation after he saw his name, image and likeness being used in a video game without his consent.

The outcome, should O'Bannon win, would do even more to change the landscape of college sports.

[Akrazotile]

As I have always said - I have no problem with unions personally. People have a right to band together and negotiate with their employer.

The people I loathe are the kumbaya 20-somethings who don't even BELONG to a union, who think it is their business to support unions and pro-union politicians simply because they want recognition for supporting "david" against goliath.

Same people I talked about in the global warming thread. People who always rush in to 'save the day' when they have no idea what they're doing. FOOLS who rush in. Want to change everything and be seen as the big compassionate robin hood instead of just minding their own damn business and recognizing what policies it is important to take a stand on and what are not.

Let negotiations that have NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU take their course. Don't 'try to be cool' by saying "yeah man, stupid ncaa needs to start paying these guys! its like, you gotta like, socialize it man, cause seriously man, the corporations are like stupid and stuff, its so stupid man. stupid corporations."

[DukeDelonte13]

f*cking stupid.

most college sports programs cost schools money, it's a delusion that these kids are making schools money. Only a handful of programs in the country make money for schools.

Secondly these entitled little assholes are getting a free very expensive college education that anybody would kill for, and the opportunity to showcase their talents to professional organizations with unions for their players.

[Akrazotile]

f*cking stupid.

most college sports programs cost schools money, it's a delusion that these kids are making schools money. Only a handful of programs in the country make money for schools.

Secondly these entitled little assholes are getting a free very expensive college education that anybody would kill for, and the opportunity to showcase their talents to professional organizations with unions for their players.

If you started doing something for free, but then all the sudden the person you did it for began to make millions off it, would you not want a piece? What if he said, "here, i'll give all your kids free college tuition." Even as he's making hundreds of millions off your work, that's all he's offering.

Would you think "Gee, I'm doing the work, I'd like to have a say in what kind of cut I get" or would you say "Ok, tuition paid, I'm good."

[DukeDelonte13]

If you started doing something for free, but then all the sudden the person you did it for began to make millions off it, would you not want a piece? What if he said, "here, i'll give all your kids free college tuition." Even as he's making hundreds of millions off your work, that's all he's offering.

Would you think "Gee, I'm doing the work, I'd like to have a say in what kind of cut I get" or would you say "Ok, tuition paid, I'm good."

but the fact is most schools have to subsidize the cost of these sports programs. Most schools aren't making millions, they are paying big bucks. for every Ohio State football program, there is a Kent State, Akron U, Bowling Green, U.D., Toledo, etc. that has to spend money to keep their programs alive. How is it fair to the non-athletes that they are paying all this tuition money to go to college and instead of the college investing in better educational components they using it to keep sports programs afloat?

And on top of that.. Colleges should be PAYING these kids too? That's a sad state of affairs IMO.

[Jailblazers7]

f*cking stupid.

most college sports programs cost schools money, it's a delusion that these kids are making schools money. Only a handful of programs in the country make money for schools.

Secondly these entitled little assholes are getting a free very expensive college education that anybody would kill for, and the opportunity to showcase their talents to professional organizations with unions for their players.

Speaking more for basketball than football here, but that is actually a limitation for some kids. NBA owners helped institute the 1-and-done rule because they were wasting money and 1st rounders on HS players who didn't develop. Now a kid who could have got guaranteed, 1st round, life changing money might end up a 2nd round pick or not even drafted. Instead, they are forced to go to college (where they don't make any money). Acting as if a scholarship is just compensation for someone is defending because it is ingrained in everyone's head that the end goal for all HSers is a college degree.

I don't necessarily think that colleges need to pay athletes but they should be allowed to become professionals at any point in time (or accept endorsements during their college days).

[DukeDelonte13]

Speaking more for basketball than football here, but that is actually a limitation for some kids. NBA owners helped institute the 1-and-done rule because they were wasting money and 1st rounders on HS players who didn't develop. Now a kid who could have got guaranteed, 1st round, life changing money might end up a 2nd round pick or not even drafted. Instead, they are forced to go to college (where they don't make any money). Acting as if a scholarship is just compensation for someone is defending because it is ingrained in everyone's head that the end goal for all HSers is a college degree.

Nobody is forced to go to college. They can play pro in europe or go to the D-league, make some money, prove they can play, and get paid.

[Jailblazers7]

Nobody is forced to go to college. They can play pro in europe or go to the D-league, make some money, prove they can play, and get paid.

So the options are either 1) leave the country or 2) make pennies on the dollar in the NBDL.

From Marc Stein on NBDL salaries:

Salaries remain flat: $25,500, $19,000 and $13,000 for the league's three player classifications. Which means D-League players are virtually playing for free -- and a modest per diem on the road of $40 compared to $120 in the NBA -- although they do receive housing and insurance benefits. It was also brought to my attention this week that the D-League quietly does have a per-team salary cap of $178,000 ... with a dollar-for-dollar luxury tax, just like in the NBA, for teams that go over that amount.

Top recruits are prob getting paid more than that under the table by boosters at some unis.

[DukeDelonte13]

So the options are either 1) leave the country or 2) make pennies on the dollar in the NBDL.

From Marc Stein on NBDL salaries:



Top recruits are prob getting paid more than that under the table by boosters at some unis.

Being 18 years old and getting paid to play a game is a blessing. So they have to wait until they are 19 to start making millions? Boohoo. Cry me a river. Those poor kids!!!!

[Jailblazers7]

Being 18 years old and getting paid to play a game is a blessing. So they have to wait until they are 19 to start making millions? Boohoo. Cry me a river. Those poor kids!!!!

My point is that some kids fall out of favor with scouts by the time they turn 19 and become eligible. Why should those kids have to take that risk?

The one-and-done rule is just a way to transfer risk from NBA owners to HS graduates/college freshman.

[Akrazotile]

but the fact is most schools have to subsidize the cost of these sports programs. Most schools aren't making millions, they are paying big bucks. for every Ohio State football program, there is a Kent State, Akron U, Bowling Green, U.D., Toledo, etc. that has to spend money to keep their programs alive. How is it fair to the non-athletes that they are paying all this tuition money to go to college and instead of the college investing in better educational components they using it to keep sports programs afloat?

I completely agree with this part. The whole situation is dicey because many programs don't actually earn any money. Does that mean those who play for the ones that do shouldn't get paid? I don't know.

I mean, not every team in basketball, football, baseball etc. makes a profit. Does that mean every player on every team should get the same static wage? Alabama may generate a million dollars when they play a game, but they still need teams to play AGAINST. So if you're Alcorn St., and Alabama makes a million dollars every time they play you... you don't want a piece? You wouldn't use any possible leverage to see if you can gain from it? Most people would.

I'm just saying, there is a clearly a business element to professional college sports because they generate massive revenues. I don't blame any students for investigating the potential to have more of a stake in it. I mean really, what business is it of anyone elses? It's been proven that viewers at home don't actually care about things like steroids, payment scandals, legal issues etc. People just want a jersey to scream for on Saturday. Why not just let the two sides work it out on their own??

[Akrazotile]

Being 18 years old and getting paid to play a game is a blessing. So they have to wait until they are 19 to start making millions? Boohoo. Cry me a river. Those poor kids!!!!

My question is, why does it actually matter to you?

Why do you care whether the administrators of college football get all the money or they share it with the players?

You seem to be very passionate about taking a specific side. I don't understand why it matters to you.

[kentatm]

[DeuceWallaces]

but the fact is most schools have to subsidize the cost of these sports programs. Most schools aren't making millions, they are paying big bucks. for every Ohio State football program, there is a Kent State, Akron U, Bowling Green, U.D., Toledo, etc. that has to spend money to keep their programs alive. How is it fair to the non-athletes that they are paying all this tuition money to go to college and instead of the college investing in better educational components they using it to keep sports programs afloat?

And on top of that.. Colleges should be PAYING these kids too? That's a sad state of affairs IMO.

It's pretty simple. The programs that aren't profitable won't be paying out. Same thing happens in graduate education. It's not very hard to sort out. Not everyone is equal.

[niko]

Are most schools really losing money on there athletic programs? I have a hard time believing they would keep them if that were the case

It's a loss leader, people want to see sports. The alumni donate, it attracts new students, etc. But except for big time football, very little of these sports actually make money at all.