A salvo is being fired at the NCAA, and it will have a last effect on how deem and categorize college athletes going forward.
ESPN’s Outside The Lines is reporting that “a majority” of Northwestern football players, led by quarterback Kain Colter have filed to be recognized as members of a union.
If successful, college football players would be officially classified as employees.
Ramogi Huma, president of the National College Players Association, filed a petition in Chicago on behalf of the players, submitting the form at the regional office of the National Labor Relations Board.
“This is about finally giving college athletes a seat at the table,” said Huma, a former UCLA linebacker, who created the NCPA as an advocacy group in 2001. “Athletes deserve an equal voice when it comes to their physical, academic and financial protections.”
Huma told “Outside The Lines” that the move to unionize players at Northwestern started with quarterback Kain Colter, who reached out to him last spring and asked for help in giving athletes representation in their effort to improve the conditions under which they play NCAA sports. Colter became a leading voice in regular NCPA-organized conference calls among players from around the country.
“The action we’re taking isn’t because of any mistreatment by Northwestern,” Colter said. “We love Northwestern. The school is just playing by the rules of their governing body, the NCAA. We’re interested in trying to help all players — at USC, Stanford, Oklahoma State, everywhere. It’s about protecting them and future generations to come.
“Right now the NCAA is like a dictatorship. No one represents us in negotiations. The only way things are going to change is if players have a union.”
We probably won’t see a ruling on the matter for years, but it’s one of the many first steps that will go towards eliminating the ameteurism in college sports.