In 2014/2015 the Northwestern University Wildcats football team attempted to unionize, and was rebuffed by the University and the National Labor Relations Board. This has led to the introduction of a bill in Congress by Senators Booker (D-NJ) and Sanders (D-VT) to permit exactly that.
That has led to this statement by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA):
“College athletes are students and not employees of their college or university. This bill would directly undercut the purpose of college: earning a degree. The NCAA and its member schools support student-athletes through scholarships – many of which cover their full cost of education debt free – and numerous other benefits. NCAA members also are committed to modernizing name, image and likeness rules so student-athletes can benefit from those opportunities but not become employees of their school. We will continue to work with members of Congress to focus on issues that align with our priorities. But turning student-athletes into union employees is not the answer.”
And what strikes me is this: if the athletes aren’t employees, then just where is all this entertainment product coming from? Are they attributing these literally billions of dollars to the color commentators? The random motions of the crowds in the stadiums?
The NCAA’s statement does the author no favors.
