If you’re disappointed at the current sad state of College Athletics, don’t expect your spirits to be lifted by this “unfair labor complaint” filed against Notre Dame.
Pure idiocy.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — An unfair labor complaint was filed Thursday against the University of Notre Dame for classifying college athletes as “student-athletes.”
(I had to read that twice to make sure I was reading it correctly!)
The complaint was filed with the National Labor Relations Board by a California-based group calling itself the College Basketball Players Association. It said Notre Dame is engaging in unfair labor practices as defined by the National Labor Relations Act.
The complaint is similar to one filed against University of Southern California by the group’s Los Angeles office alleging players on USC’s football and men’s and women’s basketball teams are employees and not “student-athletes” within the meaning of the National Labor Relations Act.
Notre Dame cited its Statement for Principles for Intercollegiate Athletics in responding to a request for comment on the complaint, saying athletics is “an integrated participant in and contributor to the University’s education mission.”
“Clearly, Notre Dame’s athletic programs are part of — not separate from — our broader educational mission,” the school said. “We will vigorously defend our approach to ensuring that being a ‘student-athlete” describes precisely the educational and developmental experience our students receive at Notre Dame.”
Notre Dame’s reply is perfect. At a time when colleges are failing in their mission to educate and many big-time college sports programs are little more than feeders for pro leagues, the last thing the sport needs is another NLRB ruling like this.
Imagine the NLRB (one of the many useless parts of the bloated federal government) riding complete herd over NCAA sports.
New rules? Here are 10 the NLRB might want to impose:
- If a game goes into overtime, the NLRB will declare that this will require NIL-and-a-half payment for the extra work.
2. When college games are played on Saturday – and most are — all football employees should get another NIL-and-a-half payment as weekend pay differential.
3. With the proliferation of night games, the NLRB will require payment of the evening shift differential.
4. Since there are a lot of 3:30 kickoffs, games likely will end during the evening shift and football employees can negotiate for a special NIL bonus.
5. Selecting starting players will be done exclusively by seniority, as per standard labor arrangements.
6. A shop steward will negotiate special NIL hazard pay if his worker is facing an opponent with a “star rating” more than one level above his.
7. Coaches will not be permitted to yell at their players at decibel levels above safe workplace standards. A decibel monitor will patrol all games and practices.
8. Colleges will not be allowed to require players to share rooms on road trips.
9. Players will not be demoted from the starting lineup until a hearing occurs before an NLRB panel. The NLRB promises hearings will be within four weeks of such requests.
10. Backup quarterbacks will not be permitted to wear baseball caps, because this discriminatory practice calls attention to the claim that they aren’t good enough to play.