The request by Northwestern football players for the opportunity to unionize has shaken up the NCAA.This unionization would classify the members of the football team as employees of the university and would allow for players to earn a “wage.”As far as logistics are concerned, this proposition could actually end up saving Northwestern a crazy amount of money, something that the players who are so diligently fighting for payment seem to have overlooked.

If players were to unionize and the university became the sole employer of said players, the stipulations placed within player contracts could end up causing the players to totally deplete their “income” in order to remain a student athlete.

This means that the university has the right to require that the student pay for their own equipment, medical and training fees and travel expenses.

They can even pull funding for athletic program scholarships.

So, how does that unionization look now? Not so great, huh?

I can only speculate, but I am sure that the Northwestern football team meant something a little different when requesting payment for their talents.

However, I as a student can also speculate that there will be a lot of very upset students if these young men are allowed to unionize according to their original requests.

These boys want money.

They want Northwestern University to fund their private education. They want Northwestern to fund their travel expenses, medical and training fees, and the transition to a new uniform every two years.

AND they want Northwestern University to throw in a couple of extra bucks.

As if unspoken special treatment of athletes isn’t enough.

I am not claiming that payment already occurs. We all have or have had a class with an athlete. We all respect their efforts to balance a college career and an athletic career with a little extra help from professors and lab TA's and department heads so that they can help lead our school to victory and ultimately help fund the educational supplementation.

But, if you want to get right down to it, athletes work about as hard as a student with two majors who is also in a pre-professional program with multiple extra-curricular activities including club sports, jobs and volunteer commitments.

So why doesn’t the university just pay all of its hardworking students?

I wouldn’t mind making $7.25 an hour for all of my extra time spent in the library or working at the VAC or practicing for a club hockey tournament.

Non-athlete students are not the only ones who are critical of the proposition.

Numerous professional athletes have come forward in the conversation regarding the payment of college athletes.

One athlete said that he missed the “innocence” of college football.

This makes complete sense in the mind of someone who has entered the professional world after receiving an education that was virtually free and extremely relaxed.

Once you get to the point where sports become a profession, you then must worry about lawyers and salary adjustments and free agency. It isn’t as fun as it sounds.

If you as a player are decent enough to attend school for free, don’t get greedy.

The university pays for your food, your housing, your books, your tuition, your equipment, your travel, and many times, a majority of your clothing.

You do not NEED a brand new car or an extra salary when everything you need is right in front of you.

If you are a walk on or you are receiving a scholarship that is less than satisfactory or feel that you need supplementation, you might want to reconsider your commitment or request an increase in funding for scholarships.

Depending on the status of your university, they will generally help you out with whatever assistance you may need.
If you are that ready to get paid, either work hard and get into the draft early or move on.

I don’t mean to sound bitter.

I understand the emotional, physical, and psychological strain that comes with the collegiate athlete territory.

I also understand the strains that come with being a full time student with three unpaid internships.

But sometimes, to get to the top takes sacrifice. It takes experience.

Experience does not know the value of a dollar.