CNN: Is College Athletics A Sweatshop?

[JimSwinkLives!]

http://www.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/01/09/greene.pay.college.athletes/index.html?hpt=Sbin

In the days leading up to Monday's national championship game I got in touch with a person who I thought might have a special perspective on the festivities:

Leo W. Gerard, international president of the United Steelworkers union.

"The NCAA is a virtual athletic sweatshop," he said.



"They are entitled to representation, and they are entitled to negotiate as a group."

Gerard said that for years, "the NCAA has simply played the collegiate athletes like they were fiddles." He said that the big universities and the big broadcast networks are "making money off the backs of these athletes." And to those who argue that there is not enough money coming in to pay the athletes, and that to do so would result in both the athletic departments and the broader universities having to cut back on programs and services, he said:

"If you had collective bargaining rights, there would have to be economic disclosures."

Meaning that if the college athletes were represented by a union, or a union-like entity, the universities would have to open their books to the negotiators.

 

[Tom Brown]

At the BCS level yes. No for the subdivisions.

 

[HFrog1999]

Uh oh! Looks like the Mafia wants their part of the bidness!

Can you imagine the games once the players become union?

They wouldn't be able to run the wildcat anymore.

I'm not taking a snap! I'm a running back! I don't take snaps! It's against union rules!

 

[RufeBruton]

Speaking as an old swimmer (pre Rickel days).....there was no sweating at the old pool.

 

[PurplePutt]

http://www.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/01/09/greene.pay.college.athletes/index.html?hpt=Sbin

In the days leading up to Monday's national championship game I got in touch with a person who I thought might have a special perspective on the festivities:

Leo W. Gerard, international president of the United Steelworkers union.

"The NCAA is a virtual athletic sweatshop," he said.



"They are entitled to representation, and they are entitled to negotiate as a group."

Gerard said that for years, "the NCAA has simply played the collegiate athletes like they were fiddles." He said that the big universities and the big broadcast networks are "making money off the backs of these athletes." And to those who argue that there is not enough money coming in to pay the athletes, and that to do so would result in both the athletic departments and the broader universities having to cut back on programs and services, he said:

"If you had collective bargaining rights, there would have to be economic disclosures."

Meaning that if the college athletes were represented by a union, or a union-like entity, the universities would have to open their books to the negotiators.

Somewhere along the line, the value of a fine education, a place to live, and food on the table got left out of the equation. Labor unions are a bunch of communists. The more members they get the more dues the fat cats control. I'm a member of one and don't like it one bit but have little choice. That's my opinion and it ain't changing--flame away!

 

[Froggy Style]

Uh oh! Looks like the Mafia wants their part of the bidness!

Can you imagine the games once the players become union?

They wouldn't be able to run the wildcat anymore.

I'm not taking a snap! I'm a running back! I don't take snaps! It's against union rules!

I've never been for paying the athletes, but when coaches are getting $10 million (for the whole staff), the schools are getting $100 million tax free, and are restricting competition, and the players are getting multiple concussions...I may have to rething my stance. Playing not receiving a piece of the ridiculous pie while taking all the risk seems exactly like a sweatshop, IMO.

Hell, just take 1MM from the coaches pool and split that among the players and they'll at least be able to pay for their daily needs since they can't hold a job like other scholarship students can.

 

[HFrog1999]

I've never been for paying the athletes, but when coaches are getting $10 million (for the whole staff), the schools are getting $100 million tax free, and are restricting competition, and the players are getting multiple concussions...I may have to rething my stance. Playing not receiving a piece of the ridiculous pie while taking all the risk seems exactly like a sweatshop, IMO.

Hell, just take 1MM from the coaches pool and split that among the players and they'll at least be able to pay for their daily needs since they can't hold a job like other scholarship students can.

Yeah, but this clown has no interest in students. He's just looking to get a piece of the pie.

 

[PurplePutt]

Yeah, but this clown has no interest in students. He's just looking to get a piece of the pie.

It's what union bosses do.

 

[HFrog1999]

It's what union bosses do.

We want our cut.

 

[89dallasfrog]

TCU's $160,000 for four years, is that not worth something?

And that's all we need to do is start making unions for people who don't even have jobs.

 

[neo926]

Does that mean we can cancel all the non-revenue generating sports since we won't have any money to subsidize them since it'd all be going to football and basketball players?

 

[Endless Purple]

Would a players Union force all schools to pay the same or could the rich just get richer?

Any form of open payment would destroy college athletics for the most part. Massive reduction of sports and schools dropping from FBS level football for not maintaining the minimum # of sports. There are only 5-10 schools that could compete for the best players.

Of course, if they were paid, would they be required to be full time students? could save some tuition money.

 

[oldscribe]

Yeah, but this clown has no interest in students. He's just looking to get a piece of the pie.

It would mean an end to college football, at least above the Div. III level. And that would pretty well kill the NFL (unless someone came up with a workable minor league development system a la baseball) and would hurt HS athletics as well.

 

[JugbandFrog]

TCU's $160,000 for four years, is that not worth something?

And that's all we need to do is start making unions for people who don't even have jobs.

It is worth something, but players have zero protection. Look at the SEC when they cut a player and take his scholarship as a senior. What about injuries sustained while playing? What happens there? Concussions and other injuries that have lifelong effects. Who protects the players there?

The NCAA is a useless organization.

 

[HoustonHornedFrog]

Somewhere along the line, the value of a fine education, a place to live, and food on the table got left out of the equation.

Yeah, but this clown has no interest in students. He's just looking to get a piece of the pie.

DING DING DING, we have a winner. Of course they aren't interested in anything but getting a piece of the pie. Every time I see one of these it is always from someone who wants to step in "on behalf of the student athletes" to see if they can make a profit as well. You never see them stepping up to represent the athletes from the poor non-revenue producing sports. And the argument that they need to get paid because they can't hold a job like other students makes me want to scream. I have a daughter who is going to a private school on a partial dance scholarship. The amount of time that she spends in rehearsals and performance classes beyond what is counted for her 15 semester hours exceeds the amount of time that the NCAA allows for student athletes to spend in team activities. Unlike football, which is only in season during the fall semester she has the same demands both semesters of the year because they perform fall, winter and spring. They aren't the only ones on campus that don't have an extra 20 hours a week to work a job.

Most of the kids who are getting a full ride, tuition, room and board, books and fees probably know how good they have it. They certainly would if they looked around and found out what a lot of other kids had to do get that education. For the very few that are really good, they have a chance to make a living as a professional which is aided by four or five years of training, conditioning and coaching. For the rest they get a chance to get a top notch education to give them a chance to earn a living doing something else.