Now this is a game changer if there ever was one!

[ctfjr]

http://news.yahoo.com/college-athletes-unionize-federal-agency-says-192336413--spt.html

Gonna be some serious changes in college athletics coming

 

[ctkaiser]

From what I understand UConn women have voted against forming a union!

 

[Deadrody]

[edit: No politics]

 

[dibster]

Don't get too excited yet; this was only a NLRB ruling. Will be appealed and probably get to the Supreme Court but not for a few years before decided on issue of whether student-athletes are "employees" of their educational institution.

 

[DobbsRover2]

From the NY Times article today, this seems to be the beginning case for many more that will inexorably change the designation for at least college football players and mens' college basketball players from student-athletes to athletes-and-occasional-students. The figures cited for the time spend by athletes on sports duties and the demands placed on them are certainly not new, but with the added dimensions of a landmark case in favor of the unions, the impetus for change will be fast now. Anyone who thinks that the NCAA will be allowed to stay in its lethargic state is fooling themselves. With billions of dollars flowing to the universities and a legion of lawyers and athletes who want a share, this shakeup will be huge and fast, and the NCAA will be running to make deals to stave off bigger changes.

What effect it will have on women's basketball and the other sports that don't generate much revenue is harder to say, but there will have to be some trickle down effect. The UConn women work as hard as the men, and you there is a limit to how far you can let the inequities between sports get to before more lawsuits start flying.

This is the start of something very big.

 

[EricLA]

From the NY Times article today, this seems to be the beginning case for many more that will inexorably change the designation for at least college football players and mens' college basketball players from student-athletes to athletes-and-occasional-students. The figures cited for the time spend by athletes on sports duties and the demands placed on them are certainly not new, but with the added dimensions of a landmark case in favor of the unions, the impetus for change will be fast now. Anyone who thinks that the NCAA will be allowed to stay in its lethargic state is fooling themselves. With billions of dollars flowing to the universities and a legion of lawyers and athletes who want a share, this shakeup will be huge and fast, and the NCAA will be running to make deals to stave off bigger changes.

What effect it will have on women's basketball and the other sports that don't generate much revenue is harder to say, but there will have to be some trickle down effect. The UConn women work as hard as the men, and you there is a limit to how far you can let the inequities between sports get to before more lawsuits start flying.

This is the start of something very big.

I know little about what the possible repercussions might be, but one thing I found interesting is the sentiment echoed by several people - Title IX guarantees equal participation for women's sports based on the # of schollies avail for the men. Given that football teams represent the overwhelming majority of sheer numbers, it's allowed women the opportunity to have many more scholarship sports than they otherwise would. Point being that if men's hoops and football are off the table as NCAA college athletes, schools across the nation will drop a majority of their women's sports teams as they are all money losers. It would be unfortunate for female athletes in many universities.

 

[DobbsRover2]

Anything that would impinge too severely on Title IX would just open up many more cans of worms and lawsuits from whole new quarters. Title IX does not enforce any kind of equal opportunities for men and women in sports, but it does require at least a semblance of an effort. There would be such a backlash across the country if the NCAA allowed schools to remove football and basketball players from the participation tallies that congress would certainly get involved. I know one NY senator I would write to to lead the charge.

There are going to be many many meandering moves by the NCAA, schools, and legal teams before this is all halfway sorted out, and there will be hundreds more major articles written about all the ripples in the college sports, from the number of teams, to the financial networks supporting the schools, to the emerging athlete-student rights movement, to the effect on education, to the scrambling of the P5 teams to hide their revenues, and on and on. Could be all mildly interesting.

 

[UcMiami]

I think you may well see colleges completely separate their football teams from their academic institutions - like other investments and properties they own, they will own football teams (and probably men's basketball teams.) And they will sign employment contracts with players to play for those teams, and maybe include discounted tuition for the players that want to attend classes. At that point you will have created a professional minor league in football and it will not be long before you end up with a team being owned by something other than a school. Any profits within the team will be just like profits on their investments with GM or in real estate. And some of those teams will lose money and fold. And life for those playing for the teams will slowly start to resemble minor league baseball - when the bottom line is pure profit, players will get cut, expenses for many teams will be put under pressure, bus rides instead of flights, etc. Rules will be put in place for 'minor league drafts' for HS students, etc.
And then the cycle may begin again with schools starting up intramural football teams of actual students. These teams will start playing against other local schools and unofficial leagues will begin to form. And with fewer alumni who actually played for 'The Ohio State' semi-pro team, the attendance will start to dwindle, and family and friends and students will start attending the actual student team games, and giving them donations to buy equipment, and rent real stadiums and weight facilities. And local PBS stations or local network stations may start carrying a few of these games.
Going to be an interesting time. I do think there is real concern for all other sports. It could be great for something like women's basketball that already has a national footprint and following as they become the best face of Universities actual student athletes, but rowing, or lacrosse, or ...

 

[UcMiami]

Anything that would impinge too severely on Title IX would just open up many more cans of worms and lawsuits from whole new quarters. Title IX does not enforce any kind of equal opportunities for men and women in sports, but it does require at least a semblance of an effort. There would be such a backlash across the country if the NCAA allowed schools to remove football and basketball players from the participation tallies that congress would certainly get involved. I know one NY senator I would write to to lead the charge.

There are going to be many many meandering moves by the NCAA, schools, and legal teams before this is all halfway sorted out, and there will be hundreds more major articles written about all the ripples in the college sports, from the number of teams, to the financial networks supporting the schools, to the emerging athlete-student rights movement, to the effect on education, to the scrambling of the P5 teams to hide their revenues, and on and on. Could be all mildly interesting.

But if scholarships for football become employment contracts for autonomous entities people can cry all they want, but they would tie themselves in knots trying to crafting any type of legislation for equating employment contracts with one entity with scholarships to another entity.