Unionization: Athletes are Employees

It's not really an argument on unionization, it is an argument that the NCAA has fought for years - can athletes make a profit while in college? Can they be considered employees? I agree with most of the athletes. They work very hard, and if they would rather receive a paycheck than tuition, then that should be up to them.  

Johnny Manziel is a prime example. If his signature makes him money, why can't he profit? The NCAA and colleges take advantage of these players and they make money off of jersey and ticket sales, why can't athletes take a percentage of what their OWN NAME is worth? It can be considered an incentive to some athletes. If you work your butt off, and become a very popular athlete, then you can financially benefit. Win for the player. Win for the NCAA. Win for the school's publicity, ticket sales, and RECRUITING. 

I understand this argument. "That the scholarships are a transfer of economic value is evident from the fact that the Employer pays for the players' tuition, fees, room, board, and books for up to five years," Peter Ohr wrote. "While it is true that the players do not receive a paycheck in the traditional sense, they nevertheless receive a substantial economic benefit for playing football."

However, college is not for everyone. So why not let these athletes choose between tuition or a paycheck? These athletes aren't complaining that they get tuition, fees, room, board and books payed for, not to mention the best nutritionists and weight training provided to them. They are making an argument for banding together in order to get the NCAA to listen, and hopefully make money off of their hard work. 

Think about it this way many of these athletes have no time for a second job or an internship while in college, because whatever sport they are participating in is their second job. When they graduate they have a degree in their hands, yes, but no experience. Don't get me wrong, I am not trying to make you feel sorry for them. They have the best benefits, but it kind of sets them up for failure. You either make it to the pros, or you pray that an employer will take a chance on you without any experience. Why do you think most former athletes go into a sports related field like training, coaching, broadcast etc.? Their name caries weight, but outside the realm of sports they need real-world experience. 

Say an athlete gets into the pros, and signs a million dollar contract with several endorsements. He or she is not use to making that kind of money, is not use to the financial obligation, because in college they don't even get a taste of that kind of wealth. A couple years later they are bankrupt with a ripped up body, all because they were not prepared. There is a huge gap between college and the pros. 

The Northwestern football players did receive the vote to unionize. The reason why players are trying to unionize is, because there is no other choice when going up against the NCAA. When Northwestern called the NCAA a "dictatorship," I laughed out loud, because it is ridiculously true. Times are changing, and the NCAA needs to adapt. Jerseys, season ticket sales, autographs, and other materialistic things the NCAA can profit off of an athlete's name is not fair to the athlete that busted his or her butt to make it profitable. 

I could go on for days about the NCAA and their stupid minute rules and all of them are based on their own greed and not learning how to adapt to change. Do you see them following Alabama closely? No, because guess who made them a ton of money last year....ALABAMA. They will nit pick Texas Tech coaches for sending out text messages to recruits congratulating them on a good game, but will not look into how Nick Saban replenishes his championship team every year? Don't get me wrong, the state of Alabama has a ton of stout recruits, I know that. 

Had the NCAA even decided on the University of Miami's punishment yet? I gave up hope and stopped following that process. ESPN 30 for 30 exposes everything about The U already. I am just saying they drag their feet on big names schools for a reason.  Also, currently the NCAA is fighting a class-action federal lawsuit by former players seeking a cut of the billions of dollars generated from live broadcasts, memorabilia sales and video games. There is my random rant on the NCAA. The NCAA sucks. That is all.

So this is where Northwestern stands.

The decision paves the way for an election to be held in which only scholarship players can vote. But Northwestern will likely request the full board in Washington to review Peter Ohr's ruling before that can happen. The school has two weeks to do so.

Parting thoughts: I hope the players unionize, and bring out the absolute worst in the NCAA. Someone needs to reveal why the NCAA makes the decisions they do, and explain how giving the players a percentage of their net worth will ultimately make the NCAA suffer. Good riddance.