
The collegiate sport industry is a multibillion dollar industry that develops almost as much money as most professional sports. College football for example, is a 7.3-billion-dollar industry which has produced millions of dollars per season in accordance with each team's schools. How do these massive powerhouse businesses make so much money? They do so off the backs of the student athletes who provide the millions of viewers across the country and the world with entertainment. These facts spark a controversial topic which has been debated since the beginning of the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association). Should student athletes get compensation for their "work." Many people argue that since the athletes make the sport and the coaches and staff get paid, that they in return should be compensated. But the issue is not as simple as the question of payment. The dilemma goes much deeper into the legality of the matter. For student athletes to have any say in any matter within the economic and social aspects of their sports, they must have representation in the eyes of the government; unions. By allowing student athletes to join unions, they would be represented legally and thus have authority to demand payment. 

A union is defined as an organized group of workers who collectively use their strength to have a voice in their workplace. According to US law, anyone, no matter what age, can join a union. In simpler terms unions are created by the work force to generate fair and equal representation so that the workers are paid and treated justly. The only way that student athletes can be provided the representation needed to demand compensation; would be through a union of their own. 

In 2014 football players at Northwestern University demanded that they be allowed to join a labor union. The National College Player Association filed a petition to create the union with the National Labor Relations Board. Ramogi Huma, president of the National College Player Association helped to spearhead the movement by claiming that college players need much more support than a mere advocacy group. The Association argued that unionization was a necessity for a number of reasons, not solely for payment. They argued publicly that athletes need to be able to have protection and support in times of injury so that they are assured that they wont have future medical bills that they cannot afford. They also argued that student athletes only have a 50% graduation rate at major collegiate programs, and thus are not prepared for life after their sport careers. According to Huma they demonstrate how athletes are getting the short end of the stick when it comes to representation. After the petition was filed, the National Labor Relations Board met and eventually declined the effort for student athlete unionization. The board released a statement saying, "The Board held that asserting jurisdiction over a single team would not promote stability in labor relations across the league." The board concluded that according to law, they are only allowed to look at private sector work places to represent. Although Northwestern University is a private college, if the students were allowed to unionize there and students at all the major public universities weren't, there would be a conflict.

The main opposition to the idea of student athletes joining a labor union is the argument that they are not employees. In the eyes of the National Labor Relations Board along with most universities and the government, student athletes are students. They are not workers and they go to college to get an education, not work. Donald Remy the chief legal officer for the NCAA stated, "This union-backed attempt to turn student-athletes into employees undermines the purpose of college: an education." He later argued that students join and play collegiate sports out of their own will and voluntarily. The main opposition wishes to stump unionization by undermining the legitimacy of student athletes and their work at their respective schools. 

The Payment of student athletes spurs from the idea that they generate immense amounts money with their sports and thus should get paid in return just like in any job. However, for student athletes to get paid they must have fair representation. The only way to achieve such representation is through unionization. Unionization is the first step in achieving compensation for the student athletes of this country. In 2014 Northwestern University athletes set precedent by attempting to join a labor union. Although they were denied the claim, they demonstrated what the potentials are for student athletes. If unionization is achieved, it could change collegiate sports forever. If they get equal footing to make demands college athletes could eventually get paid for their work and much more. 

