Northwestern players win bid to unionize

[J-Rod]

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/10677763/northwestern-wildcats-football-players-win-bid-unionize" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Here we go....is this the beginning of the end? College football may never be the same.

 

[ragtimejoe1]

Wow. First domino. Northwestern will drop football. Perhaps this is the beginning of a complete restructuring of College Football--kind of like when the ivy league decided to not step up on the field but to maintain academics.

Going to be very interesting.

 

[ragtimejoe1]

My other thought is that will the employees now pay taxes on the value of their scholarship?

 

[BJC]

forgive me here but...what exactly are they trying to achieve?

Most of these players, once finished, will realize how good they had it. However if this is to protect athletes after injury etc......but there are emergency insurance policies already in place for that. Want money?.......oh boy......

I just wonder where this will all go and know too little about the actual goals of this. :twocents:

 

[J-Rod]

forgive me here but...what exactly are they trying to achieve?

Most of these players, once finished, will realize how good they had it. However if this is to protect athletes after injury etc......but there are emergency insurance policies already in place for that. Want money?.......oh boy......

I just wonder where this will all go and know too little about the actual goals of this. :twocents:

http://college-football.si.com/2014/03/26/northwestern-nlrb-union-kain-colter/#more-29261" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This should help.

 

[ragtimejoe1]

http://college-football.si.com/2014/03/26/northwestern-nlrb-union-kain-colter/#more-29261" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This should help.

Wow, messy, especially considering the Title IX issues.

 

[J-Rod]

Wow, messy, especially considering the Title IX issues.

Chaos is ahead. No way around. Each and every school will face some very tough decisions. This is all so unpredictable that this has the potential to be both very good or very bad for Wyoming depending on the results of this process.

The train has left the station now. The Georgia Bulldogs will be the Triple AAA affiliate of the Atlanta Falcons in 10 years. :lol:

If it reaches that point in the distant future, as long as Wyoming keeps playing football....this will be a good thing. We don't need those schools to enjoy the game. Let them leave and compete in their sad pathetic form of minor league football.

 

[PotatoCreekPete]

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/10677763/northwestern-wildcats-football-players-win-bid-unionize

Here we go....is this the beginning of the end? College football may never be the same.

The unions saw a huge cash cow, and the attorney's saw a huge payday and found some weak minded arrogant players at Northwestern to make it happen. Frankly if this is allowed to stand there goes college athletics as we have known it most of our lives.

The saddest part of this whole thing these selfish players at Northwestern are going to ruin other young peoples opportunities of getting an education paid for by using their athletic abilities. Only the wealthiest programs will be able to continue athletics while many smaller schools won't be able to and will just have to drop many if not all of their athletic programs thanks to the actions of these selfish people. Once these smaller schools drop athletics how many young people do you think that it will effect? Countless when you look at the future generations that will never have a chance.....

 

[J-Rod]

http://www.shermanreport.com/my-qa-with-jay-bilas-on-pay-for-play-ncaa-unwilling-to-do-the-right-thing-this-is-pro-sports/?utm_source=hootsuite&utm_campaign=hootsuite" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Found this to be interesting. What would Wyoming do if faced with pay for play?

 

[JimmyDimes]

Just don't see pay for play ever happening. College athletes are amateur athletes and should not get paid. If it did happen however, then the pay would need to be equal across the board. Otherwise, there will be a slew of anti-competition lawsuits.

Fucking stupid Northwestern players anyway.

 

[J-Rod]

Just don't see pay for play ever happening. College athletes are amateur athletes and should not get paid. If it did happen however, then the pay would need to be equal across the board. Otherwise, there will be a slew of anti-competition lawsuits.

Fucking stupid Northwestern players anyway.

Many fans are joking that nothing would blow this PFP revolution away than Northwestern threatening to drop football due to this unionizing. Those Northwestern players would wear the dunce cap for all of this PFP crowd.

 

[BeaverPoke]

http://www.shermanreport.com/my-qa-with-jay-bilas-on-pay-for-play-ncaa-unwilling-to-do-the-right-thing-this-is-pro-sports/?utm_source=hootsuite&utm_campaign=hootsuite

Found this to be interesting. What would Wyoming do if faced with pay for play?

Oil money! Wyo be getting Sabans and Les Miles recruits!

 

[J-Rod]

Oil money! Wyo be getting Sabans and Les Miles recruits!

lol unfortunately, I doubt the folks that work in that fancy building in Cheyenne will agree.

 

[SnowyRange]

Just don't see pay for play ever happening. College athletes are amateur athletes and should not get paid. If it did happen however, then the pay would need to be equal across the board. Otherwise, there will be a slew of anti-competition lawsuits.

Pay for play will happen, I'd say. It's just a matter of when.

And only in a very loose definition of the term are the players currently "amateurs." They're already being given something valuable in exchange for their cavorting on the gridiron. Only walk-ons are out there solely for the love of the game.

 

[J-Rod]

So this board ruled in favor of the NU players because they're a private school, but also noted they have no jurisdiction for public universities....so this could still be pretty tricky for most schools.

 

[TSpoke]

There are way too many things left to happen before this becomes anything important. Could it lead to massive changes down the road? Sure. What and how those changes will occur, nobody knows. The way I understand it. It now has to go to the national board for aproval. Then Northwestern will appeal it. That will take time.
Then it will only apply to Northwestern. Is it for football players only(looks like it is)? They need a certain percentage of players for it to work. If they get it will they have to get that percentage every year after seniors leave and new players come in? Other schools can will be able to start their own but how many will? And it can only be private schools.
As I understand it, this isn't about pay for play(at least at this time) its about player safety and other issues. So a lot of things have to happen before this is the end of college football as we know it.
Unionization might not have been the right way to go but they bring up some worthwhile issues.
Last thing, if they are school employees will they be taxed on their scholarships?

 

[BackHarlowRoad]

As far as I'm concerned athletes already do get paid. Scholarships (which at Northwestern is much more than my yearly salary), free food, free healthcare, free housing, monthly stipends. They can lose their scholarship at any time based on performance (just like a job). They spend 40-50 hours per week involved with football in some fashion (like a job).

Shit, everything they do resembles employment.

One of the biggest lies we're told besides Santa Claus is the NCAA's notion of the 'student-athlete'. They are definitely 'athlete-students' and in some cases, simply 'athlete'.

There's nothing "amateur" about an AD making an extra $18k for the accomplishment of a 'student-athlete' on a wrestling team that only had 6 wrestlers on schollie.

 

[laxwyo]

Let's not make them take classes either

 

[stymeman]

I'm not really sure what to think about this myself, I understand what they are trying to achieve but in the long term scheme of things what do they want to accomplish by this. I think it should be in the form of stipends and such, and if they chose to sell their jerseys and get some type of endorsement deals I'm ok with that, but only for their daily subsistence, not based off their play itself, that's the form of a professional athlete in my opinion. The way our society is this day and age, let's wait til the high schools around the country feel this applies to them...smh

 

[BackHarlowRoad]

I'm not really sure what to think about this myself, I understand what they are trying to achieve but in the long term scheme of things what do they want to accomplish by this. I think it should be in the form of stipends and such, and if they chose to sell their jerseys and get some type of endorsement deals I'm ok with that, but only for their daily subsistence, not based off their play itself, that's the form of a professional athlete in my opinion. The way our society is this day and age, let's wait til the high schools around the country feel this applies to them...smh

I'm inclined to completely agree with you. College athletes should not get paid.

However, at big time football schools, these students schedule their classes around football. Meaning if they want to get into a certain field or take a certain class but it interferes with football.....too bad. Their free education is certainly free but many of them really don't have a say in what they study. A degree in "Interdisciplinary Studies" does what for them after they graduate? Jack shit is the answer. Because of that, it's hard to justify that a scholarship is enough 'payment'. Then you turn around and look at how much money administration, coaches, and who knows who else is making off of their work and time...it's kind of crazy.

Both sides of the argument have completely valid points. Just shows you the nature of intercollegiate athletics has become warped and lost it's original intent. When you call a big time money making business "amateur", things are bound to get messy.

Amateur: one who engages in a pursuit, study, science, or sport as a pastime rather than as a profession

I think it can be said that the NCAA conglomerate is a business, a professional establishment who uses amateurs to make money for itself. In the end, that's kind of sleazy.