The NCAA, National Collegiate Athletic Association, is a non-profit association of 1,281 schools, conferences, or other associations. It is heavily influenced by the 125 schools that are in the FBS division of college football and whose revenue next year will exceed six billion dollars. These member schools, their athletic directors, coaches, and staff all profit greatly from college football.
There are approximately 10,625 players on scholarship for college football in FBS during the year. They provide the product that drives the FBS football engine. If the player manages to stay on the team and passes the necessary classes, then he graduates with no student loan debt and a college degree. Since the players are not unionized and don’t have a voice on how things are done, they have minimum leverage.
Recently, football players from the Northwestern University have taken steps to unionize. They are the first, but may not be the last. So who will win this battle, the NCAA or the players? We are siding with the players on this one based on labor laws.
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