The Nat. Labor Relations Board has ruled the Northwestern Univ. football players are employees, not students, so they can unionize. I think a lot of us have considered them that way for a long time but this is going to change a lot of things about so-called college sports. It won't take any time at all before this is expanded to all sports and all colleges.

Northwestern University football players can unionize, federal agency says
Published March 26, 2014
FoxNews.com

In a ruling that could revolutionize college athletics, a federal agency ruled Wednesday that college football players at Northwestern University can unionize.

The decision by a regional director of the National Labor Relations Board means it agrees football players at the Big Ten school qualify as employees under federal law and therefore can create the nation's first college athlete's union..

The Evanston, Ill-based university argued college athletes, as students, don't fit in the same category as factory workers, truck drivers and other unionized workers. The school plans to appeal to labor authorities in Washington, D.C.

"While we respect the NLRB process and the regional director's opinion, we disagree with it," a statement from Northwestern University read.

"Northwestern believes strongly that our student-athletes are not employees, but students. Unionization and collective bargaining are not the appropriate methods to address the concerns raised by student-athletes."

Outgoing Wildcats quarterback Kain Colter took a leading role in establishing the College Athletes Players Association, or CAPA, which would take the lead in organizing the players. The United Steelworkers union has been footing the legal bills.

Colter, whose eligibility has been exhausted and who has entered the NFL draft, said nearly all of the 85 scholarship players on the Wildcats roster backed the union bid, though only he expressed his support publicly.

CAPA attorneys argued that college football is, for all practical purposes, a commercial enterprise that relies on players' labor to generate billions of dollars in profits. That, they contend, makes the relationship of schools to players one of employers to employees.

In its endeavor to have college football players be recognized as essential workers, CAPA likened scholarships to employment pay -- too little pay from its point of view. Northwestern balked at that claim, describing scholarship as grants.

Giving college athletes employee status and allowing them to unionize, critics have argued, could hurt college sports in numerous ways -- including by raising the prospects of strikes by disgruntled players or lockouts by athletic departments.

The NCAA has been under increasing scrutiny over its amateurism rules and is fighting a class-action federal lawsuit by former players seeking a cut of the billions of dollars earned from live broadcasts, memorabilia sales and video games. Other lawsuits allege the NCAA failed to protect players from debilitating head injuries.

NCAA President Mark Emmert has pushed for a $2,000-per-player stipend to help athletes defray some of expenses. Critics say that isn't nearly enough, considering players help bring in millions of dollars to their schools and conferences.

CAPA's specific goals include guaranteeing coverage of sports-related medical expenses for current and former players, ensuring better procedures to reduce head injuries and potentially letting players pursue commercial sponsorships.

For now, the push is to unionize athletes at private schools, such as Northwestern, because the federal labor agency does not have jurisdiction over public universities.

During the NLRB's five days of hearings in February, Wildcats coach Pat Fitzgerald took the stand for union opponents, and his testimony sometimes was at odds with Colter's.

Colter told the hearing that players' performance on the field was more important to Northwestern than their in-class performance, saying, "You fulfill the football requirement and, if you can, you fit in academics." Asked why Northwestern gave him a scholarship of $75,000 a year, he responded: "To play football. To perform an athletic service."

But Fitzgerald said he tells players academics come first, saying, "We want them to be the best they can be ... to be a champion in life."

An attorney representing the university, Alex Barbour, noted Northwestern has one of the highest graduation rates for college football players in the nation, around 97 percent. Barbour insisted, "Northwestern is not a football factory."

I quit watching sports years ago. It's all about the money, same as everything else. Decent sports stops high school.

I think they deserve to get high pay half of what the pros get. But now they can afford that education they couldn't on a scholarship. So I'd suggest the cost of sports players in college go up 20 times. No more scholarships for sports.

Those band members are on scholarship, too.

Athletes can be given scholarships to play ball, and white sorority chicks to lay with their balls, but nothing of value.

Smaller schools won't be able to afford it. The bigger and powerful will become more so. I quit watching the pro game years ago. Still like college.

So is the Cheer team but say those ball players will be in the big bucks so lets addopt the liberal position on this crap the paid players can now afford to pay these people scholarships.

At least I don't give a [bleep] anymore.

What will be interesting will be the tax consequences for player if paid. Could be a nightmare taking into consideration instate vs out of state games etc.. At least they can get a Roth IRA set up:)Might be all that they have left in the end.

Best thing NW could do now is first - scrap the football program TODAY.. Second, appeal the decision - if they win, back to football. If they lose kick every one of those players OUT of school and let 'em find their eddykachun elsewhere.

Since college football is nothing more then farm teams for the NFL why not let the NFL pay to union wages?
Personally I'd prefer to have the college sports use people who got into the school with high SATs, good high school academics, and plenty of examples of good citizenship. Rather then the scouts driving thru the ghetto looking for huge trainable thugs.

Jim

I can't wait for the first game day strike over some minor annoyance. Colleges need to eliminate football and let the NFL find the players as best they can. They have about ruined it by protecting players from hits anyway, and it won't be long before it is flag football. miles

In the 80s SMU got the death penalty for paying players, so now it's ok? Maybe all they had to do was unionize and they wouldn't have got into trouble?

If it stands, it may have a lot of unintended consequences. If the football team unionizes and gets a salary, why not the women's volleyball team? A lot of smaller schools may just get out of whole intercollegiate athletics business. It would be a good excuse to get rid of athletic programs that are a financial drain and a distraction from the core purpose of an educational institution.

On the flip side, how much money does the universities make while the kids tear their bodies up? Everybody makes money from college football, except the players.

If you get paid to play, that play should be tied to performance. If the team doesn't win, pay is cut, if a player misses a tackle, drops a ball, gets too many penalties, or throws an interception - pay is cut. And, as mentioned, taxes will have to be paid on that income, and the concept of actual scholarships be abolished. Can't have yo' BBQ ribs and eat them, too.

Doubt if Northwestern's football team really brings in THAT much money to begin with.

If colleges have to pay their football players it's going to take a lot of money from other programs. Say goodbye to some of the less popular college sports programs.

You play because you love the game. If you don't understand that, then you've never seriously played a sport. You might use sport as a vehicle to get into college, but you still play because you love the sport.

"Tear up bodies?" That doesn't start in college. I know a pair of 12u baseballers that are "torn up" right now. One with an ankle broken in 2 places and the other with a broken radius and ulna. They need to be paid?

Some of you forget that football funds all other collegiate sports programs with the sole exception of Men's basketball at a select few schools. That means ALL the the Title IX Women's programs.

You forget that is is expensive to run a football program. If Texas A&M wants to travel to FL to play US, that's a $100,000 trip. Fortunately, their cut of the gate will cover that and more, but it shows you the "cost of doing business".

Same with Bowl Games, who seem to have enormous payouts but also have enormous expenses. A dozen or so years ago, Jim Donnon of UGA caused an uproar when he wouldn't take the full UGA marching band to Honolulu for he Hula Bowl. He said the $500,000 payout didn't cover the expenses to have an extra 100+ fly along and stay in Hawaii.

The football money allows things like having Big Ten schools send their women's softball teams to do a tour of Florida schools during Spring Break, because it's too cold to play in the Midwest this time of year. They do it with women's golf too. Are you starting see where this money goes?

I say strip the money out of it, and take the athletic scholarships away. Play for the pure love of the game. If the NFL wants a farm system, let them make there own. That will solve this controversy about paying players. Walk ons play for the love of the game and nothing else.

Education ain't free. Playing ball is how they pay. Of course some of them that go, do not get one. They should make their money by using their education, that they got for "free". miles

Will tax payers want to see their tax dollars subsidize college player payroll at state schools when their payroll gets to big and they can't afford it? This isn't going to fly, the bigger schools will buy the best players, the smaller schools will fold and the fans that can't stand pro ball will go away. Who in their right mind will want to watch college football when their will only be a hand full of teams?

The greedy little bastids have overlooked one consequence. The moment they declare themselves professionals, the NCAA will declare them ineligible to play.

I don't think this will stand court action. Just another iteration of Hussein and his toady Perez over at Sec Labor, of using the packed NLRB force their socialist agenda.

Things I learned on the Campfire.

-College football players should play for free, for your enjoyment. After all, you are entitled to it.

-College football players should play for free, to subsidize other sports. After all, the women's golf team is entitled to it.

-People are greedy if they want to be paid when they work or play a sport where they bring in money. What country do we live in again?

Good luck with that.

Is anyone really surprised that Skeeters NLRB would hand down a decision that promoted unionization?

The unions will fit right in with the commie's and [bleep] in the teachers lounge though.

Hockey and a good trade school's probably your best bet this day and age.

Calvin, what part of "amateur" escapes you? If these football hulks want to be paid athletes instead of student athletes, fine. Let them compete concussion to concussion with NFL players. Right out of high school.

The same goes for basketball, tennis, golf, or even chess teams. You want to be a pro? Compete with the pros.

While we're at it, if schools have to pay their "students" to play sports, then they should also require the "students" to take full class schedules in real courses, no class cuts for practice, and reserve all scholarships for scholars.

Agreed!

They are getting a tax free college education, if they will take advantage of it.



The law says that after women complained.



America, where the amateur athletes are amateurs not professionals like in communists countries. If they want paid a salary on top of a free education they are professionals and should play with the big boys and pay for their own education. miles

"While we're at it, if schools have to pay their "students" to play sports, then they should also require the "students" to take full class schedules in real courses, no class cuts for practice, and reserve all scholarships for scholars."

This is exactly correct

I really don't think that every college's football (or basketball) team makes money for the school.

What this decision will do is raise the cost of having these teams. The small schools will drop the programs completely.

Even if they can find players to play cheap, they will drop the programs because of all the other overhead that goes with employment.

Maybe they can work it down to two conferences: Paid and Unpaid.

Y'all realize that there is no earthly reason why colleges and universities should be involved in sports at all, don't you?

Let me put it this way. You send your kid to college - at great expense - to get an education, not to play sports or watch sports. Right?

What's the matter with you guys? Your kids could graduate in three years instead of four, if we got rid of all the useless crap on campus, like sports.

And the same goes for HS. I hear all kinds of people whine about sports getting cut with budgets. No reason we couldn't use private leagues instead.

The football program here not only covers all 21 sports played on campus but also gives a gift of between $5 and $10 million to the university for scholarships, buildings, research etc...

What's wrong with that?

You have to have nothing, and I mean nothing, to do if you watch professional sports.

Of course if college athletes are considered employees, then the value of their education should be considered income, and taxed as such by the IRS.

As the saying goes, be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.

And, naturally the union will want the students to pay dues.

So much for watching college football! Ain't nuthin but 'burr heads' playing anyway...just like the pros!!

So now these colleges & universities are required to offer healthcare to the student players? They are now employees right, or are they considered part time?

That is what this whole thing was about. I'm not saying talks over a stipend would not come later, but with title 9 they won't go anywhere. Also, the only D1 schools that did not turn a tidy profit from football are, the ones that just made the jump to D-1, and their budgets are usually stressed the first few years by having to build/add on to facilities. Here is a simple breakdown of Northwesterns sports budget from 2011.
School / Revenue / Expense
Football (Number of athletes � 105) / $22,704,959 / $15,733,548

Men�s basketball (Number of athletes � 15) / $10,048,801 / $4,158,854

Other sports � Men�s (Number of sports / Number of athletes; 6/106) / $656,037 / $4,093,011

Other sports � Women�s (Number of sports / Number of athletes; 11/239) / $764,483 / $11,426,624

Total: $0 (revenue � expense) / $48,921,823 / $48,921,823

Student fees: $383

Amount athletics receives from student fees: $39 per student

What's wrong with it is this; college kids have no business playing or watching sports, IMO. Their business is learning.

And if the alumni want to give $5-10 million to their alma maters, they can do that directly.

So you want to ban sports from Middle and High School as well right? Because obviously students have no business playing sports? Their business is learning right?

I guess I just meet the flip side of student athletes. My mom has an internest who played at LSU and has received several awards as a Dr. A guy I work with had his back surgery performed by a LSU graduate who most likely would have gone to trade school without a football scholarship.

I personally don't see the problem with it as long as thne people who run the university including the people of the state approve it and since it's fully funded outside of taxpayer means here I have no problem with it.

If not overturned in the courts, this will effectively kill college athletics. I have no problem with that. Living in KY like I do, I'm sick to death of bassetbawwwwwllll, which is the one true religion of Kentucky.

It's time for it to go.

Only a select few or the larger colleges/universities will be able to finance teams if this holds up. Enjoying March Madness this year? There might not be enough teams next year to hold the round of 32. It might have to start with the sweet 16 round.

Want to be an employee? Employees can be fired for not performing (although this might be rare in higher education).

Probably not since the acutal ruling only affects private universities for right now and only those that are profitable.

In most colleges the athletes are employees of the school. Their job brings in billions of dollars to the bigger schools in revenue, above the costs to run the athletic programs. They not only get ticket sales, but TV contracts and a royalty from every T-shirt and other trinket sold nationwide. Trust me, the big schools bring in plenty of money.

Most small schools do not give true athletic scholarships. They will often assist them finding academic or other scholarships, but most are playing, and paying at least part of their tuition.

I have no problem with paying them for every hour they are required to be at practice, meeings, games, travel and conditioning. Not millions of dollars mind you, but at the exact same rate other student jobs are paid.

What about their scholarships? There are more students enrolled in college getting a free ride on academic scholarships than athletic.(often paid for with the profits from athletics) Those kids also work on college grounds crew's food service, bookstores, etc. and are paid for their time. Why not pay the athletes for the time they spend working for the school, and bringing in tons of money that are used for everything else.

It would cut down on the illegal activities athletes have been involved in. In order to maintain the level of fitness required to keep their scholarships, means they are training year round with no time for a real job like other college students. Right now most they literally have zero funds to go out and have a pizza with their friends unless they are doing something illegal or at least in violation of NCAA rules. Lots of these kids only source of income is to sell a T-shirt they wore in a game to a wealthy alumnus for $200-$300. Lots of that going on under the table right now.

Play for free? Do all the other athletes "play for free?

I'm not out to ban anything. I just want everybody to slap themselves on the head, admit to themselves that they've been wrong all this time and then quietly stop funding most of it.

Children getting exercise is a good thing. College students are not children, though we persist in treating them as if they are. If college students haven't developed a personal habit of exercise as a way of healthy living by the time they graduate from high school, watching a college football game isn't going to inspire them to get out and run more often. The vast majority of college students are utterly sedentary.

As for people who go to college on football scholarships, here's a radical thought. How about all those people who dump millions of dollars on football, just give the money to deserving students without enticing them to endure concussions and orthopedic injury for my amusement?

I realize you don't have a problem with college athletics. You're not alone. Most Americans who look at the business - Big Business - of college athletics are mostly all right with it. They like it just the way it is. I'm in a minority so small it probably can't be accurately charted.

But if you've been looking at the cost of a four-year degree lately, and reading up on the amount of debt that students go into to get something that's really only worth what a high school diploma was a generation ago, you might be wondering what, if anything, can be done to bring this economic misery under control.

One way would be to start looking at a college education as a business, on a personal, individual level, instead of looking at it in the Boomer Way, which is Party Hearty with a piece of paper at the end.

I say dump the college athletics programs - and a lot of other crap for which there's no room to deal with here - and get serious about the reason people go to college in the first place.

Declare a major upon application. Three years and out, degree or no degree. No screwing around. No parties. No "finding yourself" Find yourself first, then go to college, get your business done and then get out into the world running.

My wife is a college professor and she thinks I'm wasting my breath. I think she's probably right.

They'll be needing to pay taxes on their income if they want it that way.

There isn't as much money in college sports as people think. There are probably a dozen or so colleges that actually make money at athletics. The rest typically run at a deficit.

Local talk radio today put the number at 22. miles

If your favorite team's coach makes more money than the College President, that program is making the school a lot of money.

Maybe, maybe not. A lot of the salary of the Football coach at Arkansas, comes from the Razorback Foundation and not from the College. You have to spend a lot on coaches, arena's, Practice fields, workout rooms and other stuff to compete in the SEC. If you don't have these things you don't get the better recruits. It is hard to compete against Alabama, Florida, LSU and a couple of others even with good facilities. miles

Same at LSU. Les Miles makes $400k per year from the university itself which is the maximum a facaulty member can be paid.