Well, that's that

[takethepoints]

See:

NLRB issues complaint against USC, Pac-12, NCAA for labor practices

The National Labor Relations Board issued a complaint Thursday against USC, the Pac-12 and NCAA in what could classify student-athletes as university employees.

www.sportsbusinessjournal.com

What the NLRB is saying here is that collegiate athletes (in full scholarship sports, I assume) are employees and would be treated as such. Hence a lot of the rules of "parent institutions", conferences, and the NCAA have are violations of the NLRA and have to go. This would include, among many other present arrangements, NIL agreements reached by the schools and not by the athletes themselves.

I don't think the "defendants" (they aren't actually, though they will be directly) have a snowball's chance of winning this one. And collegiate athletics will never be the same. But national legislation could change that.

 

[cpf2001]

Classifying as employees and then negotiating with a union a la the major pro leagues is probably the only chance of getting control over compensation and transfers, more like the old days but with above the table money and both schools and players having a seat at the table to make the rules.

Doesn’t necessarily end up less of a Wild West than today, but it has a good chance of it if both the power and non-power schools are at the table too, like how the poor major league teams put checks on what the rich teams can do.

 

[takethepoints]

Classifying as employees and then negotiating with a union a la the major pro leagues is probably the only chance of getting control over compensation and transfers, more like the old days but with above the table money and both schools and players having a seat at the table to make the rules.

Doesn’t necessarily end up less of a Wild West than today, but it has a good chance of it if both the power and non-power schools are at the table too, like how the poor major league teams put checks on what the rich teams can do.

Yes, I think Major League Baseball and the NBA are probable models for the final result. What I don't know is how the NFL will finally fit in. Will the league contact potential breakout players before the colleges do? In short, will the quality players be going to schools that the NFL dictates as part of contractual obligations? Will transfer rules be at risk as a result?

If the NCAA and co come to their senses and make MLB/NBA rules about all this (though the Almighty alone knows how that would work out) then something might be done to save the competitiveness of collegiate sports. But at this stage that's unlikely. That's why I keep saying that Congress will get into this sooner or later.

 

[DeepSnap]

One of the few non-physics, mathematics or chemical absolutes I can recall from GT was from MGT 325 Business Law, Winter Qtr '71, in that what the NLRB rules is the last & absolute word on a labor issue.

A NCAA Players Association cannot be too far down the road.

And you thought it was expensive to be a fan now! Sheesh!

 

[bobongo]

One effect of all this is to (further) blur the line between schools and athletic associations. Big changes will be coming to BOR guidelines and conference bylaws and every other legal agreement regarding college football. No idea what it all means of course but hoping it will somehow shake something loose to make for a leveler playing field in the future. What a huge can of worms this opens. States deciding the pay for "S/As" (now, employees) in their university systems? Private schools paying whatever? Back pay? Hold onto your hats...

 

[SOWEGA Jacket]

The system has been a farce since the 70’s. Let it burn down and then see what arises from the ashes. And there will never be a level playing field without an independent enforcement entity (which won’t exist as long as it is created by the school’s themselves like the NCAA was).

The NCAA has played all of us for fools for decades with their pretend enforcement - let’s give SMU the death penalty while we sit in the President‘s box at Bryant-Denny, Sanford, and the Big House peddling bowl invites. Let’s strip GT of a conference title while we let our flagship UNC create fake degree programs. Those of you who long for the old days have failed to realize you’ve been watching professional wrestling all those years. Let it all burn.

 

[JacketOff]

The system has been a farce since the 70’s. Let it burn down and then see what arises from the ashes. And there will never be a level playing field without an independent enforcement entity (which won’t exist as long as it is created by the school’s themselves like the NCAA was).

The NCAA has played all of us for fools for decades with their pretend enforcement - let’s give SMU the death penalty while we sit in the President‘s box at Bryant-Denny, Sanford, and the Big House peddling bowl invites. Let’s strip GT of a conference title while we let our flagship UNC create fake degree programs. Those of you who long for the old days have failed to realize you’ve been watching professional wrestling all those years. Let it all burn.

Do you not get tired of posting the same 5 paragraphs over and over again? Everyday?

Something something NCAA is a farce. Something something GT needs to do it like the big boys. Something something it’s all gonna crash and burn. Something something about all of GT’s money. Give it a rest guy

 

[roadkill]

See:

NLRB issues complaint against USC, Pac-12, NCAA for labor practices

The National Labor Relations Board issued a complaint Thursday against USC, the Pac-12 and NCAA in what could classify student-athletes as university employees.

www.sportsbusinessjournal.com

What the NLRB is saying here is that collegiate athletes (in full scholarship sports, I assume) are employees and would be treated as such. Hence a lot of the rules of "parent institutions", conferences, and the NCAA have are violations of the NLRA and have to go. This would include, among many other present arrangements, NIL agreements reached by the schools and not by the athletes themselves.

I don't think the "defendants" (they aren't actually, though they will be directly) have a snowball's chance of winning this one. And collegiate athletics will never be the same. But national legislation could change that.

This issue is more complex than it may seem and is by no means a done deal.
First, the NLRB does not apply to state employees, which will exclude the vast majority of D1 athletes. Notably, the complaint lists USC which is a private school.
Second, the universities will argue that S-As do not meet the NRLA definition of employees, although I don't know the details of the definitions so this could be decided in the NLRB's favor.

If S-As at private universities are classified as employees, but not those at state institutions, it will be quite a chaotic scenario.

 

[Vespidae]

See:

NLRB issues complaint against USC, Pac-12, NCAA for labor practices

The National Labor Relations Board issued a complaint Thursday against USC, the Pac-12 and NCAA in what could classify student-athletes as university employees.

www.sportsbusinessjournal.com

What the NLRB is saying here is that collegiate athletes (in full scholarship sports, I assume) are employees and would be treated as such. Hence a lot of the rules of "parent institutions", conferences, and the NCAA have are violations of the NLRA and have to go. This would include, among many other present arrangements, NIL agreements reached by the schools and not by the athletes themselves.

I don't think the "defendants" (they aren't actually, though they will be directly) have a snowball's chance of winning this one. And collegiate athletics will never be the same. But national legislation could change that.

I don’t think this favors the players. It might on paper, but …

State institutions (I speak of my own but it may or may not apply to others) are heavily regulated on compensation, benefits, and work rules. For example, even though I am an employee… the university dictates my public actions when representing the school. In addition, I have to disclose all non state income and meet certain standards for how it is generated. ALL of that would have to addressed and they are NOT going to want to do that. Highly compensated employee have to file annual ethics statements that are public. Etc

It’s an interesting development but as they say, “All that glitters is not gold.”

 

[TooTall]

I don’t think this favors the players. It might on paper, but …

State institutions (I speak of my own but it may or may not apply to others) are heavily regulated on compensation, benefits, and work rules. For example, even though I am an employee… the university dictates my public actions when representing the school. In addition, I have to disclose all non state income and meet certain standards for how it is generated. ALL of that would have to addressed and they are NOT going to want to do that. Highly compensated employee have to file annual ethics statements that are public. Etc

It’s an interesting development but as they say, “All that glitters is not gold.”

I hope you're right, but as we all know, the squeaky wheel gets the grease.