Players are considered workers, thanks to the Northwestern Wildcats (Outsidethebeltway.com)
THE UNIONIZATION OF THE NCAA
Andrew Hussey; @thehussnetwork
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What does the Northwestern lawsuit mean for the NCAA? Andrew tells us
4/03/14 |
Unionization. The first drop in the bucket is a tint of purple. The shock waves that emerge extend farther than Evanston, Illinois: they extend throughout the college athletics landscape. The sheer existence of college athletics and the NCAA has been called into question because the Northwestern Wildcats football team filed as a union.
As it always seems with legal matter, there will be lawyers and many of them. It is fitting that a rather intellectual university, known more for their academics rather than athletics, could with their smarts change the face of athletics forever.
At it’s core, college athletics is about students competing against each other, while still earning a high-level education. There’s no argument that earning this education is valuable for the athletes but no college athlete ever makes a dime for their play. They spend hundreds of hours preparing and practicing, sacrificing their bodies and time. Other college students have the opportunity to earn money for their jobs and talents.
It’s become a burgeoning question if these athletes who bring in millions to a university should be paid especially if more students apply and want to attend because of the athletic programs. Top programs draw students to their school and to their games, creating a pool of proud alumni who spend money on tickets, merchandise, and just give money back to the university. Most universities’ main moneymaker is the football program, for better or worse. It’s a machine by which thousands of people flock to your campus each Saturday.
And the star quarterback, the Heisman winner, gets absolutely nothing even though he brings fame and a crystal ball trophy back to campus. When he gets back to school, he’s stuck wondering how to pay for pizza. After Johnny Football won the Heisman, Texas A&M’s alumni base provided the funds to completely renovate their stadium, a multimillion dollar venture. The university’s future is built on the past quarterback who didn’t receive anything for it. Yes, he’s getting paid big time on the next level, but what about his center or guards, who protected him or that lanky blocking tight end who will be getting regular paying jobs after college. They work just as hard as him; yet receive nothing for their services down the road.
Northwestern unionizing raises questions and brings up debate that had been brewing for years. In the practical sense, its impact might not be seen until the NCAA addresses the issue, or is forced to by a court. The NCAA acts like it doesn’t have a problem. There is a need for some amount of reform; some amount of change would help. But, the NCAA doesn’t see its faults or flaws, and the traditionalists continue to push the idea that athletes don’t deserve to be paid. It is a complex issue with many legal and athletic layers, but the facts of the matter are that college athletics makes huge amounts of money, the games sell-out, and the coaches make millions, yet the players receive nothing.
As it always seems with legal matter, there will be lawyers and many of them. It is fitting that a rather intellectual university, known more for their academics rather than athletics, could with their smarts change the face of athletics forever.
At it’s core, college athletics is about students competing against each other, while still earning a high-level education. There’s no argument that earning this education is valuable for the athletes but no college athlete ever makes a dime for their play. They spend hundreds of hours preparing and practicing, sacrificing their bodies and time. Other college students have the opportunity to earn money for their jobs and talents.
It’s become a burgeoning question if these athletes who bring in millions to a university should be paid especially if more students apply and want to attend because of the athletic programs. Top programs draw students to their school and to their games, creating a pool of proud alumni who spend money on tickets, merchandise, and just give money back to the university. Most universities’ main moneymaker is the football program, for better or worse. It’s a machine by which thousands of people flock to your campus each Saturday.
And the star quarterback, the Heisman winner, gets absolutely nothing even though he brings fame and a crystal ball trophy back to campus. When he gets back to school, he’s stuck wondering how to pay for pizza. After Johnny Football won the Heisman, Texas A&M’s alumni base provided the funds to completely renovate their stadium, a multimillion dollar venture. The university’s future is built on the past quarterback who didn’t receive anything for it. Yes, he’s getting paid big time on the next level, but what about his center or guards, who protected him or that lanky blocking tight end who will be getting regular paying jobs after college. They work just as hard as him; yet receive nothing for their services down the road.
Northwestern unionizing raises questions and brings up debate that had been brewing for years. In the practical sense, its impact might not be seen until the NCAA addresses the issue, or is forced to by a court. The NCAA acts like it doesn’t have a problem. There is a need for some amount of reform; some amount of change would help. But, the NCAA doesn’t see its faults or flaws, and the traditionalists continue to push the idea that athletes don’t deserve to be paid. It is a complex issue with many legal and athletic layers, but the facts of the matter are that college athletics makes huge amounts of money, the games sell-out, and the coaches make millions, yet the players receive nothing.
