College sports players union

[Smj]

I'd love to hear everybody's thoughts on the whole college sports players union...  It's an interesting can of worms. 

Participation is voluntary... Getting to the professional level is not guaranteed...   They sign a contract to play in exchange for a degree.  If they want they could market themselves for professional teams immediately (most not successfully though)...  Schools make millions on the teams -but does that mean players deserve any of it.    player injuries and lost scholarships? ......

thoughts?

[valpotx]

I agree with forming a union if it will help with different medical protocol enhancements.  I am not in support of directly paying college athletes anything beyond the cost of admission.  There would be such a wide disparity between your top players and your benchwarmers in regards to talent, that it would be hard to determine if all should receive the same thing, or if it was based on talent such as pro sports.  Also, is it only the big sports of football and basketball that receive such a benefit?  Though they are the only revenue producers for most schools, how do you determine what sport gets which benefits?  I just think it is leading down a road that is not necessary for a college athlete, the vast majority of which do not have the talent to play professionally.  Yes, it is a HUGE time commitment of 20-40 hours per week, but that is a part of your life experience, in my view. 

[valpotx]

Wow, what a crock of s**t!

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/10677763/northwestern-wildcats-football-players-win-bid-unionize

[a3uge]

So essentially all athletes are now employees of the university? Wouldn't this involve a contract? Taxes? Termination clauses? Players won't be able to transfer? Collective bargaining in certain states?

What a mess.