W hen a Chicago court ruled in April that Northwestern’s football players had the right to unionize, it gave institutional backing to the voices asking that power be divested from the NCAA and placed in the hands of those who generate its revenue. Now, North Carolina scholarship student-athletes at public universities have been welcomed to join the State Employees Association of North Carolina.
State law does not recognize unions, but the option of membership in a lobbying group like the SEANC would afford athletes another platform to act in their own interests in a more direct manner than has heretofore been possible. It is true that not all — and perhaps very few — scholarship athletes will see joining the SEANC as an effective way to advocate for their interests. But any measure that presents these athletes with an opportunity for political expression outside the confines of the NCAA ought to be applauded.
For all intents and purposes, student-athletes are employees of the university. The National Labor Relations Board pointed to the offseason weekly total of 50 to 60 hours of team-related activity as proof. Student-athletes who receive an academic scholarship in return for athletic services rendered ought to be entitled to lobby for regulations that would protect them with the same safeguards offered to any other university employee.
In the event of career-ending injury, schools have the authority to withdraw an athlete’s scholarship, which are typically issued on a yearly basis. Furthermore, they are not required to pay for the treatment of injuries suffered while performing the duties for which their scholarship has been deemed just payment.
The NCAA’s bylaws have been draconian enough to suppress student-athlete involvement with the politics of their duties, rights and compensation. Tweets and media appearances are scrutinized and penalized for violations of the student-athlete model. The SEANC’s decision might not lead to immediate rebellion, but it could encourage student-athletes to engage on more equal terms with the institutions that have held unfettered power over their fates.
The mere awareness of political recourse could encourage athletes, coaches and administrators alike to take more transparent and active steps to ensure the form of compensation presently awarded to most revenue student-athletes — a full academic scholarship — is properly delivered and guaranteed.
