Since the National Labor Relations Board ruled that they would not intercede in the University of Northwestern’s Football players attempt to form a union because the players were not employees of the University, therefore they didn’t have jurisdiction two other Universities have attempted to institute a fine system for players for a range of infractions. The fines would be out of the players total cost of attendance stipend which is part of their scholarship.
It’s okay college athletes, let them fine you. It will work out for you better in the end.
That means they are treating you as employees and then they must then recognize your ability to form a union. That was one of the major sticking points on why the NLRB didn’t side with the players at Northwestern.
If you allow them to fine you for silly things like:
#BREAKING: #VaTech players apparently assessed fines for missing meals, practices http://t.co/bHZE0NNRqp #Hokies pic.twitter.com/9j712UL7uA
— RTDSports (@RTDSports) August 27, 2015
If this fine structure at Virginia Tech isn’t enough proof that college athletes “aren’t here to play school”, I don’t know what is. The fine for a 15-yard penalty is over three times as much as missing a class.
I also understand the need to keep the locker room clean, but seriously a fine for having a dirty dorm room? I recently was in college and I can assure you each player would be handing over their entire stipend for repeat dirty dorm room infractions alone.
Thankfully for the players at Virginia Tech, their athletic director Whit Babcock has shut down the practice. Babcock said that the practice would be “discontinued immediately.”
Virginia Tech wasn’t the only program to say that a fine structure was a good idea. The University of Cincinnati’s Football Coach Tommy Tuberville said that they will use fines to keep players accountable.
Cincinnati athletics director Mike Bohn told ESPN:
“It’s not a fine. It’s not a threat. It’s a tool. We want to help our student-athletes and are committed to helping them.
Now that your bullshit alarm is going off lets address just how dumb that statement is. Just because you choose to not call it a fine, doesn’t mean it isn’t a fine. According to Wikitionary a fine is:
A fine is money paid usually to superior authority, usually governmental authority, as a punishment for a crime or other offence.
Isn’t that exactly what you are doing? It looks like a fine, it sounds like a fine, it smells like a fine, therefore it is a fine.
That sure doesn’t sound like you want to help your student athletes. It sounds like you’re being cheap and trying to cut costs. What exactly would you do with the money you fined the players? Would it just go in the pockets of the coaches, go back in the universities general fund, be donated to charity? Regardless of the end destination the fines, they are just plain stupid.
Now that were done addressing how absurd the fine structure is, lets address the reality. If the practice becomes widespread, which it likely won’t after the negative public backlash after the release of the Virginia Tech model a couple of days ago, then this could be the straw that broke the camel’s back in regards to players being able to unionize. It will be absurd practices like this that will get the public on your side and they will help you push for a union. In the meantime, keep your nose to the grindstone and good things will come your way.