http://www.philly.com/philly/sports...s_aren_t_unionizing_for_pay-for-play.html?c=r
This article claims that players aren't demanding to be paid, but people are understandably suspicious that once these demands are met, that paying players will be the next demand. Some of the player demands are quite reasonable, others are more problematic. If it got paying players off the table - for good - I'd be willing to agree to at least some of them, if not all.
1. Minimize college athletes' brain trauma risks.
Despite record revenues, the NCAA and conferences have done little to reduce the risks of brain trauma among college athletes. The NCPA Players Council developed the Concussion Awareness and Reduction Emergency (CARE) Plan, which should be adopted immediately. The CARE Plan includes, reduced contact during practices, independent concussion experts on sidelines during games, and using a portion of new football playoff revenues for research and support for current and former players.
7. Establish and enforce uniform safety guidelines in all sports to help prevent serious injuries and avoidable deaths.
Several deaths in the college football off-season have highlighted the need for year round safety requirements that provide an adequate level of protections for college athletes from all sports. College athletes and athletic staff should be given the means to anonymously report breaches in such safety requirements.
I don't have a problem with this. If uniform rules on such things as contact in practice would reduce brain injuries, it seems like a good thing. No single school wants to put itself at a disadvantage, but there is no disadvantage if all schools follow the same rules.It seemed appropriate to move #7 up here as they are related.
2. Raise the scholarship amount.
The NCAA admits that a "full scholarship" does not cover the basic necessities for a college athlete, but it refuses to change its rules to allow schools to provide more scholarship money. The NCPA's plan is to use a relatively small percentage of new TV revenues to assist universities in providing scholarships that equal each college's cost of attendance.
I'm OK with this, I'd be willing to go as far as a stipend.
3. Prevent players from being stuck paying sports-related medical expenses.
The NCAA does not require schools to cover sports-related injuries - it's optional. College athletes injured during sports-related workouts should not have to pay for medical expenses out of their own pockets.
Sounds fair.
4. Increase graduation rates.
The ultimate goal for a college athlete is not a scholarship, it's a degree. Federal graduation rates for Division I football and men's basketball players hover around 50%. The NCAA and its member colleges should invest a portion of new TV revenue into continuing education to improve graduation rates. In addition, the NCAA should work to reduce games that take place during the week. Although weekday games are in the interest of the TV networks, they hurt college athletes academically.
I'm all for improving graduation rates. How about scholarships being for five years? If you play as a freshman, you get an extra year of scholarship. Or go back to banning freshmen from playing. Make everyone redshirt for a year so that freshmen can get a head start on their education. You could still allow for medical redshirts in addition to a freshman redshirt. But all those extra scholarships have to be paid for somewhere, and eliminating weekday games would reduce revenues. Just how much of an effect do weekday games really have? Then there are the players who really don't care about education. You can't accommodate both improved graduation rates and cater to those who are only there to play sports. I choose to favor those who want an education, the mission of the school is education, after all.
5. Protect educational opportunities for student-athletes in good standing.
If a coach eliminates the scholarship of a student-athlete that abides by academic, athletic, and conduct requirements, the athletic program should replace it with a non-athletic scholarship to allow the student-athletes to continue his/her education.
6. Prohibit universities from using a permanent injury suffered during athletics as a reason to reduce/eliminate a scholarship.
Such actions reduce the chance for such college athletes to graduate. College athletes put their bodies and lives on the line in their pursuit of higher education and the success of their university's athletic program. It is immoral to allow a university to reduce or refuse to renew a college athlete's scholarship after sustaining an injury while playing for the university.
10. Guarantee that college athletes are granted an athletic release from their university if they wish to transfer schools.
Schools should not have the power to refuse to release college athletes that choose to transfer. Under NCAA rules, players that transfer without a release not only have to sit out a year, they cannot receive an athletic scholarship for a year. This contradicts the educational mission and principle of sportsmanship that the NCAA is supposed to uphold.
11. Allow college athletes of all sports the ability to transfer schools one time without punishment.
College athletes that participate in football, basketball, baseball, and ice hockey should not be denied the one-time no-penalty transfer option that is afforded to college athletes of other sports. Such a policy is coercive and discriminatory. All college athletes should have this freedom to ensure that they realize their academic, social, and athletic pursuits.
Guaranteed scholarships and being able to transfer would be quite a concession for the NCAA to make. When you're a paid athlete, you don't get 4 years guaranteed: fumble on Sunday, and you can be gone on Monday. Something would be needed in return: an agreement that players aren't going to get paid, and not just until it is time to negotiate again.
8. Eliminate restrictions on legitimate employment and players ability to directly benefit from commercial opportunities.
College athletes should have the same rights to secure employment and generate commercial revenue as other students and US citizens. Such a measure could be designed to increase graduation rates and allow universities to retain the most talented athletes for the duration of their eligibility.
This one opens up a can of worms. The rule was intended to keep boosters from giving players a "job" of sitting by their pool. I don't know if this could be implemented without opening the door to under the table payments by boosters. Still, if it was between this and players being paid by schools, I might be able to go along with it. I assume it would allow players to sell autographs and make endorsements. It would tip the competitive scale, as attending some schools would allow some players to have more lucrative endorsements, but it would allow other schools to function. If you had to pay players, the SEC would be fine, but the MAC would be crushed. Allowing players to have endorsement deals would advantage the SEC, but the MAC could stay in business, even if the imbalance between the SEC and the MAC grew.
9. Prohibit the punishment of college athletes that have not committed a violation.
It is an injustice to punish college athletes for actions that they did not commit i.e. suspending a team's post-season eligibility for the inappropriate actions of boosters. Such punishments have significant negative impacts on the short college experience of many college athletes. Alternative forms of punishment are available and should be utilized to allow an adequate policing of the rules.
I think this would only encourage school officials to maintain plausible deniability. Just be determined not to find out what's going on and the school can say "Not our fault!" The idea of institutions only being accountable for positives, but not for negatives is rather peculiar. When I put my money in the bank, I expect to be able to get it out, even if the people who worked at the bank when I deposited my money longer work there.But if there were less rules to break, there would be less need to punish any individuals or institutions.
