Why are college athletes not unionized?

[NAHSTE]

Because they are college kids. A union full of NFL players gets crushed every 5 years in negotiations, as does the NBA...But you expect a group of 18-21 year olds who spend 14 hours of every day either studying or playing sports to organize a union strong enough to negotiate with the NCAssholes?

They'd get destroyed.

[f16harm]

Completely idiotic and asinine attempt at an argument.

You don't have to divorce yourself from fault, when the circumstance in question is ridiculously stupid. The only thing I agree with in regards to college athletes is that they should be provided a bit more assistance from the college outside tuition without it being an NCAA violation, plus it would have a monetary cap.

[FirstTimer]

I don't feel bad for college athlete's getting a free education to schools where most of the time one year there between clases and room and board run upwards of $25,000 a year. They are getting paid and getting benefits. It's called a free college degree.

Tough for me to feel bad for them and like they deserve more when I watch my fiancee struggle to get by every month having to pay back student loans even though she is making $40,000 a year.

I was a scholarship athlete myself. I am more than grateful for the gift I got and never felt like I should receive anything more or feel like I was entitled to anything more.

[Senser81]

Because They ARENT PROFESSIONALS. They are students. Therefore they shouldn't get the revenue from jersey sales and other things like that.

Yeah, they aren't unionized because they aren't employees of the University.

[Saluki]

Yeah, they aren't unionized because they aren't employees of the University.

Of course they arn't unionized. The reason you goto college is to LEARN, get and education so that you can get a job. Any college athlete is choosing to play that sport as something that is supposed to be secondary to their education, it isn't a job, it's voluntary.

Some states make alot of money off of their state playoffs for various sports, should high school students be unionized too? Why stop there, pop warner national playoffs is televised on ESPN so i know that generates revenue, should the 7-14 year olds playing pop-warner be unionized as well?

College sports isn't a job, it's an extracurricular activity, anyone who plays it and doesn't like it can stop at any time, they'll just have to pay for their own college.

[Archer]

Of course they arn't unionized. The reason you goto college is to LEARN, get and education so that you can get a job. Any college athlete is choosing to play that sport as something that is supposed to be secondary to their education, it isn't a job, it's voluntary.

Some states make alot of money off of their state playoffs for various sports, should high school students be unionized too? Why stop there, pop warner national playoffs is televised on ESPN so i know that generates revenue, should the 7-14 year olds playing pop-warner be unionized as well?

College sports isn't a job, it's an extracurricular activity, anyone who plays it and doesn't like it can stop at any time, they'll just have to pay for their own college.

I dont think anymore needs to be said.

[Senser81]

Of course they arn't unionized. The reason you goto college is to LEARN, get and education so that you can get a job. Any college athlete is choosing to play that sport as something that is supposed to be secondary to their education, it isn't a job, it's voluntary.

I don't understand why you quoted me and then said "of course they aren't unionized". On some college campuses the graduate students ARE unionized since they are employed by the University as Teaching Assistants. So its not a completely far-fetched notion to think that one day college athletes will be unionized.

[Saluki]

I don't understand why you quoted me and then said "of course they aren't unionized". On some college campuses the graduate students ARE unionized since they are employed by the University as Teaching Assistants. So its not a completely far-fetched notion to think that one day college athletes will be unionized.

Key word there is employed. Student athletes aren't employees, they are students who do an extracurricular activity. In highschool i got a job working after school in the office, doesn't mean they shoulda paid me for being on the football team.

[Senser81]

Key word there is employed. Student athletes aren't employees, they are students who do an extracurricular activity. In highschool i got a job working after school in the office, doesn't mean they shoulda paid me for being on the football team.

Yeah, I get it. I don't know why you quoted me in your initial post. In regards to college athletes, I think 'employment' definition gets blurred once you start dealing with 'stipends' and the like.

[dell71]

In principal, I agree student-athletes of revenue generating sports should be allowed to share in the profits. However, that brings up another issue.

Like it's already been said, students aren't technically employees so that's why they aren't unionized. But let's suppose they were. Do we only unionize athlete's of those sports that turn a profit? Unions are created supposedly for the fair and ethical treatment of all employees in a given company or industry. So does some guy who's an alternate on the swimming team get the same benefits as the star quarterback at the same school? Or do we have some sort of pay scale based each person's financial contribution to the school? Or better do they all get agents and negotiate contracts to go to school? What of female athletes? Very few female sports programs turn a profit and I'm fairly certain all of them are basketball. If I'm a star football or men's basketball player and we're gonna start unionizing & outright paying everybody I want a much larger cut than athletes in other sports. Hell, I want a larger cut than guys on my own team if I'm the star.

Unionizing them sounds like a great rally cry & it would be if only the football & basketball players were involved but they're not. So many athletes can only compete in their sports at many schools because of the money one or both of those sports is bringing in.

Again, I agree in principal that athletes should be getting more but flat-out unionizing isn't the answer.

[dell71]

I think that if a program is turning in a healthy profit, players should be allowed in on that. That doesn't mean unionizing the entire work force. More likely that means removing NCAA rules on gifts, and finding avenues for universities to share revenue with players (by linking it to ticket sales, merchandise, or other things. If I spend $85 on a #2 jersey, could $2-3 of that really not find its way into Derrick Williams' pocket? Even if that meant just raising the price to, like, $88? Why can't athletes get a percentage of ticket sales? Of course we would have to find ways of implementing these so that smaller schools are not choked by a new financial requirement when they're already not making money, but that doesn't mean we can't start chipping away at the more restrictive NCAA guidelines that don't even put more strain on the universities, but allow them to explore other revenue streams. The NCAA, for example, doesn't allow athletes to sell their image (the NCAA simultaneously pimps their image at any opportune spot for any dollar it can get). If you simply let college athletes be spokesmen, you open up a revenue stream for athletes without putting any further strain on the university.

Now that sounds a lot more sensible than an all-out call for unionization.

[Senser81]

They can wait to get to the NFL. Major scholarship athletes are very well taken care of. Which is why this hasn't really come up. They don't need the money when practically everything is paid for. I'm against anything that makes NCAA football more of a business because thats what the NFL gets closer to every day.

Everything you said in your post is (once again) completely wrong.

[FirstTimer]

I think you guys are missing the point that classifying the athletes as "students" while treating them like a labor force is hypocritical. Either treat them like students or treat them like employees. The university makes enough money off of them to warrant it. I'm willing to bet Penn State has made more money off Derrick Williams than it has made on any unionized member of its workforce.

The players don't need to literally unionize to achieve parity, but the NCAA does need to be forced to reconsider how it treat student-athletes, because treating them as students when they're recruited as a workforce and used as a workforce is dishonest from the beginning.

Ha! Like these incoming recruits don't know what they do as a "work force" benefits the university from the day they start being recruited. They ma be naive but they aren't metal retards. They are student-athlete's. If they don't want to work, they don't have to. It's voluntary. Oh no they make the university money!

Guess what? That money goes to pay fr other students scholarships, campus upgrades, facilities upgrades for those athletes and others.

Unionizing isn't the answer. Why the hell would the Penn St football team want to unionize and be with the Womens Lacrosse team and share revenue and negotiating power? The football team brings in 100x the revenue the women's lacrosse team does. No way in hell they would want to work together or share the money they bring in.

Hell I'm willing to bet they'd be more likely to want to share revenue with the Paranormal State cast.

[steeljake]

first off, unions are the tools of the socialst and should be destroyed at all cost.

secondly, the 'students' aren't left uncompensated for their 'work'. They are provided top notch medical care, top notch training facitlites and a top notch education from some of the most prestigious universities in the world. these student atheletes aren't required to pay back there scholarships (please note that it is a scholarship, not a contract to play a sport) if they make it big in the pro's or go on to be successful in other fields due to their stellar education. yes the univeristy uses their names and likeness to make money, most of which is used for things like facitlites, coaches salaries and these scholarships that give these student atheletes a free ride at their schools. The student is well compensated for his so called work and the stars are treated as Gods.

So whats the fucking issue? Is being a fag and being upset that the people of California think two guys butt fucking is basty upsetting you so much that you have to try to pretend you know what you're talking about and make yet another attempt to draw attention to yourself? Go be gay, and leave the but slapping, seating, grunting and showering with a group of big sweaty guys to the straight people.

[FirstTimer]

Realistically it would never work. Part of it, and as unfair as it may seem, is to try to maintain some semblence of equality across all sports. Sure some basketball and football players might be able to use their image for extra cash. How do the smaller sports and atheltes manage to do that? Unionizinfg athletes in the NCAA would benefit very few of the athletes IMO and honestly the gains by some woul dbe minimal. Meanwhile 99% of the athletes would see no difference.