Unions
There are a few different benefits that college players might receive from joining the union. The first is that they would see increased bargaining power with the universities. This means that they might have improved access to the revenue that is generated by college football -- with bargaining power they can use that revenue as leverage for better wages. At present, these football players really do not have any meaningful bargaining power. The second benefit that they players might well receive is worker protections. The key shift in this ruling is not the ability to organize but the recognition that the players are employees. As an organized union, these football players will have the ability to influence their conditions of employment, in particular with respect to safety. Football is a dangerous game, and joining a union might give the players better ability to bargain their working conditions to improve safety, something in which they have essentially no voice right now.
The first is that the ruling only applies to one single school, so players joining a union at Northwestern might find that this affects their ability to play -- the school could drop its football program as not financially viable, or it could get kicked out of the NCAA. In either case, the union is a threat to the existence of the program. The second drawback at this point is that the students might see their pay or benefits cut. If they join the union, the school might be forced to cut all scholarships, since those are the "pay." That would mean they could still play football, but without the benefit of a scholarship.
2.
If the NLRB ruling stands, it might not have much implication because it is limited to one school, but if the ruling not only stands but is extended to all private schools, it could certainly put the entire college sports system at risk. There is a tremendous amount of money to be…
