The NCAA isn’t a friend of former Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones. As Jones readies himself for the 2016 draft, he had a few tweets to get off his chest about the treatment he says college athletes receive from the NCAA. And his views went beyond whether athletes get a piece of the pie, which happens to be worth about $16 billion.
https://twitter.com/CJ12_/status/719569962134847488https://twitter.com/CJ12_/status/719572562179661826https://twitter.com/CJ12_/status/719573049146744832https://twitter.com/CJ12_/status/719574471502376962
Jones isn't alone in his viewpoint. There are other athletes who have been vocal about their feelings that they were being exploited.
Last year Kain Colter, a quarterback for Northwestern University 2010-2013, approached the National Labor Relations Board in an attempt to unionize Northwestern’s football players.
The move, which was thrown out by the NLRB, was backed by Sens. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio).
“These young men make a lot of money for these very wealthy coaching staffs and the university, and I think the discussion is really important,” Brown said.
Reid, the Senate majority leader, said, “Of course they should be able to organize. The way these people are treated by the NCAA and the universities themselves is really unpardonable, and I wish them well. I’ll do anything I can to help.”
A counterpoint that’s always brought up is the fact that these athletes are already receiving a free ride to college, so why should they be paid? And to that, the answer is that it takes more than tuition and shelter to survive in college. College athletes are the new indentured servants.