Unionized College Athletes

[tetoncat]

Dartmouth men's basketball players voted to join a local union. The NLRB ruled recently that they were employees. If they are employees and unionize won't athletes be subject to all rules. So benefits and income will be taxable, hours of practice and travel could be limited, and you are part of a business now that each department may need to show profit or benefit?

If this became widespread will Title IX go out the door. If an employee probably no need to have equal number. Will non revenue sports be cut or how do decide how to pay players. If a football team unionized how would they set pay scales? By position, starters vs bench etc.

[Mtcatfan]

Contract will be negotiated with all players - good, mediocre or bad receiving the same wage and benefits.

[coloradocat]

Dartmouth men's basketball players voted to join a local union. The NLRB ruled recently that they were employees. If they are employees and unionize won't athletes be subject to all rules. So benefits and income will be taxable, hours of practice and travel could be limited, and you are part of a business now that each department may need to show profit or benefit?

If this became widespread will Title IX go out the door. If an employee probably no need to have equal number. Will non revenue sports be cut or how do decide how to pay players. If a football team unionized how would they set pay scales? By position, starters vs bench etc.

Currently FBS players either have a scholarship or they don't. I wonder if under a employee model with collective bargaining everyone will be compensated the same (ie. the equivalent of everyone receiving a scholarship) or if they will manage to have two levels. I doubt it would be more than two, maybe years or service (pay increase each season). It will be more complex at the FCS level since there is already a range of "pay" for the players. Maybe it will be similar to my assumed FBS model plus a third level in between.

As far as each department needing to show profit/benefit, that wouldn't apply as universities are already operating under a not-for-profit model and sports have never been overly concerned with profit. The fact that costs will go up may lead to cutting some sports but it's probably unlikely.

It may be a convenient way to get rid of some Title IX obligations at some schools. I'm not sure which girls sports are expensive to operate though. Maybe softball if you don't already have a baseball team? At MSU the women's only sports are golf and volleyball. It's almost more likely that we add a men's golf team than drop the women's team and volleyball can't be that expensive to operate.

[coloradocat]

One thing I just thought of is demoting sports to club level. We already have a club hockey team and I doubt there is a big movement to make them an official scholarship/employee level team. If official sports teams are classified as employees it might just be easier to demote the entire team if they aren't a significant contribution to the athletics department or the university. If enough schools banded together to reconstitute their current conference/scheduling group under a club model they could change classification and not really lose anything. Would anyone really care if our ski teams are official sports if they still compete against the same competition?

[PapaG]

Dartmouth is 6-21 this season. Might be unionizing to keep their jobs.

The good news is, at least those disadvantaged Ivy Leaguers have people looking out for them and having their backs even if they are terrible at basketball.

The wouldn’t have a chance to succeed in life otherwise.

[BobcatDel]

Dartmouth is 6-21 this season. Might be unionizing to keep their jobs.

The good news is, at least those disadvantaged Ivy Leaguers have people looking out for them and having their backs even if they are terrible at basketball.

The wouldn’t have a chance to succeed in life otherwise.

Most unions place a high importance on seniority vs job performance so does that mean only seniors can play?

Does the coach have to go through the union steward to sit a kid if he is not living up to expectations on the court? Is there a priority points process the coach has to adhere to when deciding who can come off the bench to play?

Does everyone get the same NIL money because you need to be compensated at the same level based on your seniority position? In other words if league leading senior player John Doe has a $1mm NIL offer do the other seniors share equally in that NIL or do companies have to offer each senior a $1mm deal?

If Benchwarmer George elects to take his 8 th year of eligibility does he have first preference for playing time and starting position rather than new hardworking Sam that’s only a sophomore and has fewer seniority points?

Do TV contracts require all players equal time during broadcasts to foster their potential NIL contracts?

Does the coach and administration have to negotiate with the union to release a player from the program even if the player has caused the death of a kid crossing the street while the player was driving intoxicated?

Will there be a contract of how many minutes that can be required to practice free throws, run wind sprints, etc.? Will contracted coffee breaks every 30 min of practice be the norm?

Will union dues be required to be taken out of scholarship payments or NIL monies? Will all players be required to join the Union even if they disagree and if they don’t join be forced to sit? Will unions be involved in all NIL contract negotiations? Will unions be involved in all uniform and shoe apparel decisions and have authority to change existing contracts? Can the union call a strike if they don’t agree with playing a non-union team in a right to work state? Can the union override coaches decision to red shirt s kid? Will all travel have to be on union carriers or transports! Will the union demand a cut of all concessions and demand games only be played at facilities that are union friendly and have union operated concessions?

[coloradocat]

Dartmouth is 6-21 this season. Might be unionizing to keep their jobs.

The good news is, at least those disadvantaged Ivy Leaguers have people looking out for them and having their backs even if they are terrible at basketball.

The wouldn’t have a chance to succeed in life otherwise.

Most unions place a high importance on seniority vs job performance so does that mean only seniors can play?

Does the coach have to go through the union steward to sit a kid if he is not living up to expectations on the court? Is there a priority points process the coach has to adhere to when deciding who can come off the bench to play?

Does everyone get the same NIL money because you need to be compensated at the same level based on your seniority position? In other words if league leading senior player John Doe has a $1mm NIL offer do the other seniors share equally in that NIL or do companies have to offer each senior a $1mm deal?

If Benchwarmer George elects to take his 8 th year of eligibility does he have first preference for playing time and starting position rather than new hardworking Sam that’s only a sophomore and has fewer seniority points?

Do TV contracts require all players equal time during broadcasts to foster their potential NIL contracts?

Does the coach and administration have to negotiate with the union to release a player from the program even if the player has caused the death of a kid crossing the street while the player was driving intoxicated?

Will there be a contract of how many minutes that can be required to practice free throws, run wind sprints, etc.? Will contracted coffee breaks every 30 min of practice be the norm?

Will union dues be required to be taken out of scholarship payments or NIL monies? Will all players be required to join the Union even if they disagree and if they don’t join be forced to sit? Will unions be involved in all NIL contract negotiations? Will unions be involved in all uniform and shoe apparel decisions and have authority to change existing contracts? Can the union call a strike if they don’t agree with playing a non-union team in a right to work state? Can the union override coaches decision to red shirt s kid? Will all travel have to be on union carriers or transports! Will the union demand a cut of all concessions and demand games only be played at facilities that are union friendly and have union operated concessions?

I like how the level of craziness of these examples doesn't necessarily correlate to how unrealistic they are.

You may have accidently stumbled on the next challenge to the NCAA: eligibility limits. If the federal government reviews universities with four-year degree programs based on six-year graduation rates, why do athletes only get four years to play their sport? Shouldn't there be six years of eligibility? Or no limits at all?

[Bobcat4Ever]

I can’t wait to see athletic teams with sick leave and annual leave rules. You get one day per month accrued sick leave to recover from a knee surgery. And a senior suddenly is faced with use-it-or-lose-it annual leave time. Well, Coach, I need to take a couple weeks off here in February. See you in time for March Madness. Might be unrealistic but it’s what unions are set up to do — protect members with rule-based systems. No just letting them play.

[DMMDCats]

https://www.yahoo.com/news/dartmouth-re ... 24162.html


Dartmouth says no way.

[Au Blue]

If college athletes are allowed to unionize and subsequently go on strike, can athletic departments bring in scabs to play the games?

[coloradocat]

https://www.yahoo.com/news/dartmouth-re ... 24162.html


Dartmouth says no way.

Since the players joined the SEIU, Dartmouth should pay them like service employees and consider NIL as tips. Wouldn't even have to pay minimum wage that way.