this could change the landscape of college athletics as we know it...!

In a stunning ruling that has the potential to revolutionize college athletics, a federal agency said Wednesday that football players at Northwestern University can create the nation's first college athlete's union.

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 legally unionize.

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.

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." --- Follow Michael Tarm at https://twitter.com/mtarm 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

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The beginning of the end for UC on the big stage.

So the players can unionize. Then what?

They can threaten to go on strike. The school can then say, "Okay, since you are not fulfilling your part of the deal, we are cancelling your scholarship and unless you immediately pay tuition, you must leave classes and campus housing."

This is really getting interesting. Most of college football is already unofficially 'semi-pro', this will just make it official I guess.

The bell is tolling for the NCAA. If this wins at the federal level the whole paradigm of amateur athletics changes. UC probably wouldn't be able to adapt but neither would about a couple hundred other schools. Even your so called Power 5 schools would be devastated by this.

And all of the sudden, Friday night high school games sound more interesting to me.

BTW, the NLRB makes Barbara Boxer look like a center-right pol.

I have been saying for years that the kids have been getting screwed. By holding on too tight, the schools are losing the golden goose.

If student athletes are now considered union members are they going to pay union dues,are they going to pay 25% taxes on their $75,000 northwestern scholly????? IMO the athlete is not getting screwed a 4year $300,000 combined schooly for a backup left tackle,maybe the star QB may have a small gripe but a great education can go along way!!! What happens if the universities say screw it and drop football the only union half of these guys will be joining is the fast food union.

Just dug up an old article from USA Today that says only 23 of the 228 athletic departments surveyed generated enough income to cover their expenses. It mentions UC, in some detail, as one of the schools struggling to stay on the right side of that divide. You have to think if players start taking a cut that the situation will turn dire for some of these schools.

(Article: http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/col...s/2142443/ )

(03-26-2014 04:00 PM)BC516 Wrote:  Just dug up an old article from USA Today that says only 23 of the 228 athletic departments surveyed generated enough income to cover their expenses. It mentions UC, in some detail, as one of the schools struggling to stay on the right side of that divide. You have to think if players start taking a cut that the situation will turn dire for some of these schools.

(Article: http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/col...s/2142443/ )

They cover expenses when the accounting method is "Fund Based". On a traditional Accrual based accounting method, they are making tons of money.

Why do you think every school is trying to get in D1 if it such a money loser?????

i think this will have many significant unintended consequences, especially for the olympic/non-revenue generating sports, including how student athletes are funded.

(03-26-2014 04:12 PM)QSECOFR Wrote:  

(03-26-2014 04:00 PM)BC516 Wrote:  Just dug up an old article from USA Today that says only 23 of the 228 athletic departments surveyed generated enough income to cover their expenses. It mentions UC, in some detail, as one of the schools struggling to stay on the right side of that divide. You have to think if players start taking a cut that the situation will turn dire for some of these schools.

(Article: http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/col...s/2142443/ )

They cover expenses when the accounting method is "Fund Based". On a traditional Accrual based accounting method, they are making tons of money.

Why do you think every school is trying to get in D1 if it such a money loser?????

You might be able to explain it to me better (I don't have much of an accounting background), but when I read that many universities are subsidizing their athletic programs with funds from the state, or student fees, I generally assume that they aren't making as much money as outward appearances might indicate.

To your second point, D1 status offers other indirect benefits such as boosting enrollment. I can't count how many NKU commercials I have seen in the past couple years with a giant D1 graphic affixed at the end.

The issue with fund based accounting and athletes is that the school counts the cost of the scholarship as the full tuition cost that the kid would have paid had they been a regular student. Clearly, the actual cost of having one extra student sit in a class is almost negligible. The costs are so overstated -- again on an accrual basis -- that it is laughable.

(03-26-2014 03:59 PM)mikecat Wrote:  If student athletes are now considered union members are they going to pay union dues,are they going to pay 25% taxes on their $75,000 northwestern scholly????? IMO the athlete is not getting screwed a 4year $300,000 combined schooly for a backup left tackle,maybe the star QB may have a small gripe but a great education can go along way!!! What happens if the universities say screw it and drop football the only union half of these guys will be joining is the fast food union.

Just as an FYI — Athletes do have to pay taxes on the amount of their scholarship that is over tuition and fees. Only the tuition and fees (and maybe books) are tax deductible. If they are getting room and board paid on a full ride, they have to pay taxes on the value of the R&B amount.

For me it is simple. If they become union players I am history. I will no longer buy tickets or support UCATS. Those dollars will go to Bus. Ad and St. Jude.

This will be the death of college sports.

The players from all those non revenue sports that will be cancelled can thank the Steelworkers. I hate unions and will not even buy a union made car.

I bet NW will be happy with dealing with this union... NOT.

The decline of college sports as we know it.

On NPR's Marketplace, Andrew Zimbalist of Smith College said this ruling only applies to private colleges, not public institutions, so people can get their panties out of a wad.

The NCAA and colleges have had 100+ years to prepare for this moment and they've utterly failed because of greed, shortsightedness, or some combination. Adapt or die.

(03-26-2014 06:41 PM)InspectorHound Wrote:  The NCAA and colleges have had 100+ years to prepare for this moment and they've utterly failed because of greed, shortsightedness, or some combination. Adapt or die.

Yep. After seeing some of Kain Colter's comments on Sportscenter, I can't blame them. I'd probably want the same if I was in their position. His primary concern seems to be having adequate medical care after their eligibility is over and appropriate academic services so more are able to graduate. Doesn't sound unreasonable to me. This only occurred because the NCAA wasn't doing their job. Those commercials they run about being there for student athletes makes me laugh. If the players felt they had someone looking out for them and an organization to legitimately represent their concerns, this probably wouldn't have happened.