By EJ Montini | The Republic | azcentral.com
(Editor’s note: Opinion pieces are posted only for purposes of discussion.)
One of the biggest myths in modern society is the notion of big-time college football players as “student-athletes.”
Come on. You know and I know they are employees.
Finally, the fantasy is being shattered. Officially.
A regional director of the National Labor Relations Board found that football players at Northwestern University, a private institution, can create and organize as the nation’s first college athletes’ union — College Athletes Players Association.
It’s a simple argument.
Because this is not complicated.
UPDATE
Statement by David Weissman: To me, the NLRB’s stunning ruling in this case creates myriad questions and issues: Does it apply only to private universities? If so, can student athletes at private schools be paid salaries but not student athletes at public universities? Does it apply only to “revenue- generating” sports? If these student athletes are “employees,” are their sports-related injuries covered under worker’s compensation laws? Are they responsible to pay employment taxes on the value of the “compensation” they receive, i.e., their scholarships?
“The answers to these and the many other questions raised by this ruling will likely have a profound impact on college athletics, although it will probably be many years before this is all sorted out.
If you’d like to discuss employment or health care law, contact David Weissman, dweissman@roselawgroup.com
