The Northwestern football players cast their historic vote on Friday in an effort to unionize. For months now, the members of the team have pleaded for recognition by the school as employees, rather than student-athletes. But that's the whole essence of college, isn't it? Dedicating countless hours to your studies in order to graduate and get a degree in the process. But some sports have changed that, it's not about the education anymore. And depending on what plays out, amateurism can acquire a whole new meaning.
Dale Brown, the longtime head basketball coach at LSU once said, "look at the money we make off of predominantly poor black kids... We're the whoremasters." And it's true, according to esteemed journalist Taylor Branch's, The Shame of College Sports, the SEC (Southeastern Conference) became the first ever to generate over $1 billion from football alone, with the Big Ten conference in a close second with $905 million.
Where does all of this money come from? Ticket sales, concessions, boosters, merchandise, and most of all, TV contracts. All of which maintain a steady income based on the prospects being put out on the field.
The NCAA and individual Universities have star athletes in shackles. Former Georgia wide receiver, A.J. Green, confessed to selling his jersey from a bowl game in order to raise money for a spring-break vacation, according to Branch. He was sentenced to a four game suspension for "violating his amateur status with the illicit profit generated by selling the shirt off his own back." Simultaneously, the stores in and around Georgia University had sold replicas of his No. 8 jersey for upwards of $40.
While I don't agree with the concept of unionization, especially for student-athletes, I do believe that the outdated terms of the NCAA needs to make some reforms. College sports are completely unique to America, and because of that they are responsible for unfathomable amounts of money for the universities and the NCAA, and it all starts with the players on the field. They may deserve a little bit more leniency when it comes to being rewarded for all of their accomplishments.
