This changes everything

[Adam]

Northwestern football players can unionize, NLRB rules

Northwestern University football players are employees of the school and are therefore entitled to a union election, Peter Sung Ohr, the regional director of the National Labor Relations Board, said in a ruling released Wednesday afternoon.

Ohr's decision is expected to be appealed to the NLRB in Washington. Labor experts say an election is unlikely to take place until the NLRB makes a decision. If Ohr's decision is upheld, the case would likely make its way through federal appellate court and could reach the Supreme Court.

The decision is "revolutionary for college sports," said Robert McCormick, a professor emeritus at Michigan State University College of Law who focuses on sports and labor law.

McCormick said Ohr's decision could influence other state and federal agencies. For example, if college players demand compensation for injuries sustained during training or a game, Ohr's opinion could come into play in the question of whether the players are employees under the state Workers' Compensation Act.

This, if it holds, and it likely will, means the end of the NCAA.

[phillygirl]

Interesting. I haven't read the whole article, but I do believe college athletes are used for a tremendous amount of revenue for their schools. If they are injured mid-career there is really no way for them to get recompensed. I don't think I have an objection to them belonging to a union to attempt to protect their rights while they are in school.

[gary m]

So if they are employees, are they entitled to get paid at least minimum wage? Does the university as an employer have to pay matching FICA, FUTA, state unemployment, provide ACA approved health benefits?
What about travel time, mileage, per diem when away from the school for school related functions?
Does this only apply to "major" sports team members or does it also apply to the debate team?

Interesting does not begin to scratch the surface.

[Adam]

This was a topic on MTP (I'm pretty sure; may have been one of the other ones) on Sunday. There were lots of claims that don't hold water. There was "evidence" cited in the form of a memo, e-mail, or some such that during the basketball tournaments going on right now, the NCAA would not be providing meals for the athletes. This was promptly followed by howls of "ZOMGTHEY'RESTARVINGTHEPOORPEOPLE." The only problem is, the memo said that the NCAA wasn't providing meals. The school feeds these kids on the road. They're not going hungry.

Then there's the complaint that someone goes to ... where ever ... the University of Kentucky, and they play basketball for four years, and the school (largely via the NCAA) makes a bunch of money off of ticket sales, concessions, and of course a ton of money off of TV revenue, and at the end of four years, that player has nothing to show for it. No one, of course, dared to ask the most obvious question: whose fault is that? These people were pretending that someone who is a college student should somehow not have to put forth the effort to actually get an education while they're in college. True, there are a bunch of cases of "dummy courses" for athletes to major in underwater basketweaving and such, but the opportunity is still most definitely there: you're in college, all expenses paid, for four years, with your pick of classes to go to. If you decide to major in basketweaving and lesbian pygmy literature and then have no actual additional knowledge when your four years are up, then I'm sorry but my sympathy level for you is pretty low. Even if you didn't learn anything, you still got four years of room and board, so there's not nothing to show for it, not even close..

I have no problem with petitioning the school, or even the NCAA, to create some sort of fund to help athletes complete college, and I have no problem with them demanding some sort of coverage if they get injured and it blows their career. I have a very hard time swallowing the idea that they are employees, though.

[Gramps]

So if they are employees, are they entitled to get paid at least minimum wage? Does the university as an employer have to pay matching FICA, FUTA, state unemployment, provide ACA approved health benefits?
What about travel time, mileage, per diem when away from the school for school related functions?
Does this only apply to "major" sports team members or does it also apply to the debate team?

Interesting does not begin to scratch the surface.

I'm thinking that the university can count tuition, room, board, fees etc that are waived for scholarship athletes, as compensation.

If so, would the athletes be required to file quarterly and pay estimated taxes?
There will be a new department on each campus to address this.

As to the FICA etc, no, not if they are classified correctly.
Health?.... Hell they probably get, free, over and above what anybody else in the US gets from an employer, so that is sort of a non issue.
Shit, they might be taxed on it as compensation.

These athletes need to re-think this position.
Bunch of dumb jocks just stepped into a pile of dog shit.

[Gingersnap]

Why are these schools farm teams for the NFL anyway? Football (or any sport) would be way more interesting if ordinary people competed through local clubs.

School is for schooling. Professional games should belong to a club structure. Who cares if D'Andre Lemonjello can read? If he's in a professional setting, he can hire someone to read his stuff.

[Celeste Chalfonte]

Why are these schools farm teams for the NFL anyway? Football (or any sport) would be way more interesting if ordinary people competed through local clubs.

School is for schooling. Professional games should belong to a club structure. Who cares if D'Andre Lemonjello can read? If he's in a professional setting, he can hire someone to read his stuff.

Is there really a player named "lemon jello?"

[Gingersnap]

Is there really a player named "lemon jello?"

How would I know? I just googled stupid sports names. Apparently there was a baseball player named "Lemonjello" with a brother who has an equally absurd name. Naturally, there are a boatload of poorly punctuated fake French monikers.

My point isn't dumb names but dumb people. Most potential professional athletes get little education in college. Let's cut out the middleman.

[Celeste Chalfonte]

How would I know? I just googled stupid sports names. Apparently there was a baseball player named "Lemonjello" with a brother who has an equally absurd name. Naturally, there are a boatload of poorly punctuated fake French monikers.

My point isn't dumb names but dumb people. Most potential professional athletes get little education in college. Let's cut out the middleman.

Oh, I agree. I completely despised the sports cult at my alma mater, but I had to grudgingly respect Lefty Dreisell because he was the only program director who actually required his players to keep their grades up in real classes. If they didn't, he got them tutors or cut them from the team. My roommate tutored Len Elmore. That team produced Elmore (college All-American, NBA, J.D. Harvard), Tom McMillen (NCAA All-American, Rhodes scholar, NBA, Olympian and former US Congressman), and many others. It's sad that he was overruled by the sports establishment in later years (e.g., the Len Bias incident), but in his heyday he had teams of real students.

It's a false premise that good athletes are usually "dumb jocks." It takes brains to play sports at the highest levels. Unfortunately, the sports cult in our colleges encourages student athletes to avoid using those brains anywhere except on the field.

[Gingersnap]

I've met smart professional athletes and they'd be smart regardless. Those are the people who could go to school AND play in a club and still graduate.

We don't expect pop/rock stars to have a anthropology degree. Ballet is loaded with people who know that every hour spent in a non-ballet effort is a clock-ticking wasteland even if most later go to school. Professional cyclists know that their best shot is between 18 - 30. Models aren't also attempting to keep that GPA over 3.0.

Let's just be real. It's fine if college students compete in rowing or whatever as a hobby that teaches discipline and teamwork. Square-dancing also teaches those skills. What's not okay is schools accepting "student athletes" and then pretending to educate them while simultaneously making money on them on behalf of the NFL, NBA, etc.

The few who get great educations while also pursuing a professional sports career are outliers. That's great but it's no way to run the system. Those people would have been erudite and successful no matter what.

[scott]

I've met smart professional athletes and they'd be smart regardless. Those are the people who could go to school AND play in a club and still graduate.

We don't expect pop/rock stars to have a anthropology degree. Ballet is loaded with people who know that every hour spent in a non-ballet effort is a clock-ticking wasteland even if most later go to school. Professional cyclists know that their best shot is between 18 - 30. Models aren't also attempting to keep that GPA over 3.0.

Let's just be real. It's fine if college students compete in rowing or whatever as a hobby that teaches discipline and teamwork. Square-dancing also teaches those skills. What's not okay is schools accepting "student athletes" and then pretending to educate them while simultaneously making money on them on behalf of the NFL, NBA, etc.

The few who get great educations while also pursuing a professional sports career are outliers. That's great but it's no way to run the system. Those people would have been erudite and successful no matter what.

While true, ruling college football players as "employees" moves the needle in the wrong direction. Things are about to get very bad for a whole lot of high school football players. Grambling used to be a place where kids got a shot at making it big but even if they didn't they were going to be given the opportunity to get an education.

No worries from me, UF is a huge football school and it will probably still compete in this market. It is one of of the top rated business colleges (Law too).

[Norm dePlume]

Naturally, there are a boatload of poorly punctuated fake French monikers.

Sacré bleu!

[Adam]

They voted today. Everyone's playing it close to the vest, but some are claiming an overwhelming rejection of the union. Official word is that it will be months before the vote count is actually announced.