Northwestern University Football Team Unionizes

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Sports Argument Stadium > The Football Funhouse > Northwestern University Football Team Unionizes

The 7th Guest: Dec 17, 2003

Bigass Moth posted:

Northwestern is about to have the worst walkon squad in the country.

They'll still end up with 3-4 wins somehow

# ¿ Jan 29, 2014 00:10

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# ¿ May 14, 2024 05:12

The 7th Guest: Dec 17, 2003

Frackie Robinson posted:

This is really exciting, as the end of the NCAA as we know it would definitely make college football better and not ultimately kill the sport, no siree...

I'm really not seeing the downside here

# ¿ Jan 29, 2014 06:36

The 7th Guest: Dec 17, 2003

Frackie Robinson posted:

A college education for every athlete should be a tremendous value, the fact that it's not being utilized most of the time is the real scandal.

GROAN. That's not why these programs recruit these kids. That is such horseshit. What is the value? You're recruited specifically because of your physical talent and that's the only reason you're there. They couldn't give a single poo poo about your education. You're there to make them money.

You also keep saying "what do you want the NCAA to do about any of this" as if the NCAA has any concern or interest in changing things that BENEFIT THEM. The current system BENEFITS THEM. Why would they want to change anything?

# ¿ Jan 29, 2014 17:13

The 7th Guest: Dec 17, 2003

Honestly if those universities would be better off without the football program then they should just shut it down. It's not like we HAVE to have loving 125 teams in division 1. And it shouldn't be a barrier to any of this change. Fewer programs means less opportunities to exploit the poo poo out of athletes so it can only be good.

Bear in mind I have no stake in college football even continuing to exist. I wouldn't cry myself to sleep if college football completely fell apart. Or any college sports, really.

The 7th Guest fucked around with this message at 19:52 on Jan 29, 2014

# ¿ Jan 29, 2014 19:49

The 7th Guest: Dec 17, 2003

I don't think it's any kind of crazy to think that athletes should get loving medical coverage. i will say that probably only extremely loving batshit crazy bastards who are loving. CRAZY, would think that they shouldn't

# ¿ Mar 27, 2014 05:10

The 7th Guest: Dec 17, 2003

Gonna be a lot of back and forth now.

The interesting thing is that since the NCAA gets ad time during college football games, there's no way they won't run what essentially would be political ads attacking the union. And they can do it during every nationally broadcasted game. All of their advertising last year focused on the "student athlete" so they almost have to.

# ¿ Mar 31, 2014 07:27

The 7th Guest: Dec 17, 2003

Anyone that says "get the facts" sounds like the most corporate shmuck

# ¿ Apr 5, 2014 23:47

The 7th Guest: Dec 17, 2003

ALSO,

quote:

Quarterback Trevor Siemian said unionizing might hurt the Wildcats in their goal of winning the Big Ten.

This is the funniest line in the article for about a BILLION reasons

# ¿ Apr 5, 2014 23:52

The 7th Guest: Dec 17, 2003

FlamingLiberal posted:

Mark Emmert came out today and called the unionization attempt 'grossly inappropriate'

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/10738559/mark-emmert-ncaa-president-says-unionization-attempt-grossly-inappropriate

Because making money off of kids and then kicking them off of scholarships if they get injured playing for you IS appropriate, obviously.

There's just as much of a possibility of a future of college football post-NCAA so I'm sure that fear is a part of what is driving him right now.

# ¿ Apr 7, 2014 00:37

The 7th Guest: Dec 17, 2003

It's not really petty anyway. Think about why they wouldn't just release an NCAA Football game with completely generic player models... it's because the player likenesses sell. The game makes millions of dollars but now they won't make it. That establishes value. If they had to cut a check it would destroy their margins.

What sucks is, because EA's the only company trusted with football, now there's no alternative. No NFL2K for NCAA with first person mode or anything.

The 7th Guest fucked around with this message at 17:55 on Apr 7, 2014

# ¿ Apr 7, 2014 17:51

The 7th Guest: Dec 17, 2003

I'm still laughing at "unionizing might hurt the Wildcats in their goal of winning the Big Ten"

# ¿ Apr 8, 2014 07:00

The 7th Guest: Dec 17, 2003

Hahaha loving politicians.

You'd think they'd realize paying players would actually benefit a program like Ohio State who can outspend small schools

# ¿ Apr 8, 2014 19:07

The 7th Guest: Dec 17, 2003

Now we have players against players.

ESPN posted:

Northwestern's Trevor Siemian said Wednesday it was wrong for former quarterback Kain Colter and other players to explore unionization without first taking their concerns to their coach and administrators.

The school's football players are scheduled to vote later this month on whether to form a union to possibly bargain over better compensation, health insurance and work conditions. Siemian, a quarterback who will be a senior this fall, said during a conference call with reporters that players should have taken their concerns to coach Pat Fitzgerald and athletic director James Phillips before setting out to unionize.

"I'm treated far better than I deserve here," Siemian said. "Introducing a third party or somebody else, especially when our main goals when this began ... there were issues with the NCAA that we thought we could address, and (unionizing) was one of the ways to do it. Nothing had been exhausted from within the school. Myself included, nobody ever addressed Fitz or Dr. Phillips about these issues.

"Two of these guys that all of us have come here and trusted so much -- I've known coach Fitz five or six years now -- to say I don't trust you enough to help us out addressing these changes isn't the right way to go."

A regional director for the National Labor Relations Board announced on March 26 that Northwestern's football players meet the definition of employees under federal law and are allowed to unionize. The players are set to vote by secret ballot April 25 on whether to form a union.

Northwestern on Wednesday asked the full NLRB to review and overturn the recent ruling by the NLRB Chicago Regional Director that the school's scholarship football players are employees and may be represented by a union.

Calling the decision by the regional director "unprecedented," Northwestern's brief states that the director overlooked or ignored key evidence that Northwestern presented showing that its student-athletes are primarily students, not employees. The appeal was filed Wednesday with the NLRB in Washington, DC.

"Northwestern presented overwhelming evidence establishing that its athletic program is fully integrated with its academic mission, and that it treats its athletes as students first," the brief states. "Based on the testimony of a single player, the Regional Director described Northwestern's football program in a way that is unrecognizable from the evidence actually presented at the hearing."

I'm sure the NCAA would be thrilled to know how exactly Northwestern treats Siemian "far better than he deserves", it's practically begging for an investigation.

Also, what. Take it to the coach? What's he going to do about people asking for medical coverage?

# ¿ Apr 9, 2014 22:32

The 7th Guest: Dec 17, 2003

I'm glad someone else is finally on board with laughing at that sentence.

# ¿ Apr 9, 2014 22:42

The 7th Guest: Dec 17, 2003

Deteriorata posted:

The difference is that the college players knowingly and willingly entered into the contract of playing football in exchange for a scholarship and an education. They are getting exactly what they were promised.

That's a funny joke, are you Colin Quinn

# ¿ Apr 15, 2014 17:02

The 7th Guest: Dec 17, 2003

I wonder if UNC football players have gained valuable tools for the future from the ^"education^" they were promised

# ¿ Apr 15, 2014 17:11

The 7th Guest: Dec 17, 2003

"Student athletes have it kinda bad, huh"

"Oh yeah? 9/11"

# ¿ Apr 16, 2014 01:31

The 7th Guest: Dec 17, 2003

Stupid idiot kids

# ¿ Apr 26, 2014 00:13

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# ¿ May 14, 2024 05:12

The 7th Guest: Dec 17, 2003

That'll be fun for the NCAA to 'investigate' and then say nothing bad happened

# ¿ Apr 26, 2014 02:41

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Sports Argument Stadium > The Football Funhouse > Northwestern University Football Team Unionizes