Stanford Sports

[tpstulane]

If it stands, the Northwestern ruling will throw the traditional model of college athletics into disarray. Universities might have to negotiate benefits and perhaps even salaries with their student-athletes, which would likely force some schools' programs to the sidelines. For Stanford, the notion that athletes might one day be workers for hire is anathema, a direct challenge to its historical treatment of athletics as an extension of its academic program.

[Fred Dowler]

If it stands, the Northwestern ruling will throw the traditional model of college athletics into disarray. Universities might have to negotiate benefits and perhaps even salaries with their student-athletes, which would likely force some schools' programs to the sidelines. For Stanford, the notion that athletes might one day be workers for hire is anathema, a direct challenge to its historical treatment of athletics as an extension of its academic program.

It's probably good advice to get ready for exactly that to happen, i.e. the whole traditional model, for better or worse, is about to be upended. These court cases going on right now are likely to see to that.

And the whole point being that the NCAA long ago came up with the notion of "student-athlete, " indeed a nicely marketable term, mainly for the point of getting schools off the hook of having to handle scholarship athletes as employees from the aspect of allowing workers comp for them while also getting schools off the hook of allowing scholarship athletes to have the same rights as a regular student. Yet in reality, what's your main purpose if you're a football or bball player at a major program if not to be a living, breathing billboard for your school if not your state?

I am not very much in sympathy with keeping the traditional model. There desperately needs to be significant reform with it.