NCAA Football Players To Form Union?

[Mike]

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama — Northwestern football players made headlines earlier this week when they proposed unionizing college athletes.

Former Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron likes the idea.

"I think it's a good thing for college football for someone to step up and to try get more for the players," he told USA Today Sports while participating in pre-Super Bowl activities in the New York area. "I think eventually they need to do something like Coach (Nick) Saban said (that athletes should get additional financial support beyond scholarships)... there's so much money being made by the NCAA, by all these athletes ..."

Athletic departments like Alabama make more than $100 million in revenue. The Northwestern proposal is part of the growing momentum to increase the value of scholarships.

The SEC supports a full cost-of-attendance scholarship that would provide stipends reaching beyond tuition, books and housing.

That would sit well with McCarron.

"It's almost a somewhat a bad deal the players aren't getting some of it especially when the jerseys are getting sold, they're getting used for video games," added McCarron. "Personally I think it's good for college athletes hopefully down the line they'll start getting paid somewhere."

 

[ousoonerfan22]

I hope they don't screw up college football.

 

[jigs]

I hope they don't screw up college football.

too late, ESPN has already done that

 

[Mike]

I hope they don't screw up college football.

too late, ESPN has already done that

Somewhat. But the idea of "Unionizing" that is being aggressively maneuvered by Big 10 players might soon place the best high school players to the highest bidders.

Will those coaches who make millions give up a portion of their salary to pay those players? Where will the extra money come from?

"Parity" worked to an extent, but the big schools found ways to skirt those rules. "Oversigning" comes to mind. Really it's not much different now than the days of Bear Bryant when he'd sign as many players as he had money for just to keep other teams from getting them.

As in everything else, just follow the money.

 

[3 M L & C]

While I do think the programs use the players and make tons off of them. The players have an opportunity to use the school as well. They have access to a free education that 90 percent of kids have to pay for themselves. Either from the parents like my sister or from student loans like my wife. They talk about not having time for a job and what not because of practice. Other kids that have jobs are just paying for books and meals and such. All of which is provided to the players for nothing.

 

[jigs]

you start paying bubba to play ball, and every other kid who is PAYING to get an education, is suddenly disadvantaged....this is a slippery slope that will be hard to control