- Thread starter
- #1
The National Labor Relations Board opened a closely watched hearing Tuesday on a bid by Northwestern football players to form what would be the first union for college athletes in U.S. history.
From a witnesses stand in a federal court building, Northwestern quarterback Kain Colter testified that players adhere to sometimes grueling schedules, putting in 40- to 50-hour weeks on football during and before the season. During August training, he said, players wake at 8 a.m. and often only finish practice at 10 p.m.
"It's a job, there is no way around it -- it's a job," said the 21-year-old Colter, who is a senior and whose college career is over. He is expected to be in Indianapolis later this week for the NFL combine, a series of predraft workouts for prospects.
The key question for the NLRB is whether college football players qualify as employees; if they do, under U.S. law they would have the right to unionize. The Colter-led bid, which is supported by the United Steelworkers, is seen as a test case that could transform the landscape of college athletics. The NCAA and Big Ten Conference, which includes Northwestern, both maintain that college students are not employees whatever their participation in athletics.
Source: ESPN
From a witnesses stand in a federal court building, Northwestern quarterback Kain Colter testified that players adhere to sometimes grueling schedules, putting in 40- to 50-hour weeks on football during and before the season. During August training, he said, players wake at 8 a.m. and often only finish practice at 10 p.m.
"It's a job, there is no way around it -- it's a job," said the 21-year-old Colter, who is a senior and whose college career is over. He is expected to be in Indianapolis later this week for the NFL combine, a series of predraft workouts for prospects.
The key question for the NLRB is whether college football players qualify as employees; if they do, under U.S. law they would have the right to unionize. The Colter-led bid, which is supported by the United Steelworkers, is seen as a test case that could transform the landscape of college athletics. The NCAA and Big Ten Conference, which includes Northwestern, both maintain that college students are not employees whatever their participation in athletics.
Source: ESPN