Nortwestern football to unionize

• Devils Advocate

  

  Could this start a Wilcat wildcate strike.
  
  
  http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/10363430/outside-lines-northwestern-wildcats-football-players-trying-join-labor-union
• Pick6

  

  didnt bother to read, but...stupid.
• thavoice

  Read that this morning.
  Wonder if it will gain any strength nationwide.
  
  I think that they should offer the athletes an option.
  *100% full ride/whatever is the norm now.
  *75% scholly, 25% pay
  *50% scholly, 50% pay
  
  They can decide how they want their value. Some can accept the $$ and get loans like everyone else who goes to college.
• Scarlet_Buckeye

  

  thavoice;1573451 wrote:Read that this morning.
  Wonder if it will gain any strength nationwide.
  
  I think that they should offer the athletes an option.
  *100% full ride/whatever is the norm now.
  *75% scholly, 25% pay
  *50% scholly, 50% pay
  
  They can decide how they want their value. Some can accept the $$ and get loans like everyone else who goes to college.

  That's pretty interesting... I kinda like it. Way to think 'outside the box' there, thavoice​.
• thavoice

  Scarlet_Buckeye;1573462 wrote:That's pretty interesting... I kinda like it. Way to think 'outside the box' there, thavoice​.

  Thanks.
  Came up with the idea a couple of years ago and mention it occassionally when the topic of paying players comes up.
  
  I am not really for giving a scholly AND paying them, but also realize there is a need for some kids to have $$ and actually working a job can be tough and in many instances not allowed while in season.
  
  People see the big $$$ in the big conferences that football and basketball bring in, but a vast majority of sports and colleges dont have that luxury.
  
  If a kid is from a poor family, he can go to ABC university and still get spending money and take out a studen loan like the rest of them. Doubt it would, but maybe it would have them value the education a little more knowing that they actually will have to pay some of that back (heck, isnt that the old argument between kids who have their parents pay their college vs those who have to pay themselves?)
• queencitybuckeye

  thavoice;1573464 wrote:
  People see the big $$$ in the big conferences that football and basketball bring in, but a vast majority of sports and colleges dont have that luxury.
  

  
  The part I've never understood is that because they work for a successful "company", they're somehow entitled to a piece of the action. It never was that way anywhere I ever worked.
• thavoice

  queencitybuckeye;1573467 wrote:The part I've never understood is that because they work for a successful "company", they're somehow entitled to a piece of the action. It never was that way anywhere I ever worked.

  Well there are profit sharing companies out there so I guess that is their closest argument maybe.
  
  I guess I have never felt to sorry for those who get full rides because of what they argue. Regular students are saddled with college debt for a long, long time.
  The individual tends to think it is them who drives the $$$, but in reality it is the name on the front of the jersey's, not the back, that drive the revenue. The big money contracts with TV/radio/advertisers is for the front of the team, no matter who is playing on the team.
  Then you have the whole argument if everyone gets the same $$$, how is that fair? Player A is a starting QB, Player B is the 4th string LT, why get the same $$$?
  
  The more I ever think about it the more I feel the idea I threw out there would work. Poor? OK. Full ride is 20K, how do you want to divvy it up?
  Athletic scholarships gives opportunities to alot of kids to go to college who otherwise never would have bothered. It is almost like that is forgotten to alot of people. Sure, people come and root for jonny and salli play ball, and the university is selling alot of tickets and apparel, but without that scholarship, without that opportunity, how many wouldnt be there or would be at a small, community college?
  
  Man people out there have worked a co-op job before, many times for a company that makes alot of money. No different than that I suppose, only that in the athletics side of it they give you a scholarship.
• Classyposter58

  

  Haha well this is what happens when you have student-athletes with a high level of intelligence
• thavoice

  ccrunner609;1573474 wrote:this will fail

  Probably right.
  The rumor is the union dues would be $20 and no way they will be paying that.
• Lovejoy1984

  

  ccrunner609;1573474 wrote:this will fail

  I wonder if $20 would help.
• Dr Winston O'Boogie

  

  I am glad to see this. I agree that the name on the front of the uniform is the driver of economic benefit. If the players make themselves into a collective unit, then they become that name on the front and have some bargaining power. Colleges put themselves in the position to have this happen. They ratcheted up the game with TV, stadium upgrades, etc and now they are paying the piper. Funneling off the money to support the pistol team is not a long term solution. That money is big and the players are a big part of how it's earned. I hope this drives change.
• sleeper

  

  Current NW QB is against a union because he 'gets it'.
  
  http://espn.go.com/chicago/college-football/story/_/id/10756332/northwestern-wildcats-qb-trevor-siemian-criticizes-former-qb-kain-colter-union-push
  

  Colter is leading the effort to unionize the players. Siemian, his replacement at quarterback, opposes the move and said Wednesday he has been "treated far better than I deserve" at Northwestern.

• wildcats20

  

  @CEmmaScout: A high-placed #Northwestern source believes the union receives in the range of 60 'No' votes out of 75 players.
  
  Retweeted by Seth Davis.
• wkfan

  Hopefully, the players are seeing that this is a genie that they want to keep in the bottle.....