NLRB: College Athletes are Employees

An interesting take on college football.  Via Hot Air.

The ruling distinguishes walk-ons, who receive no financial benefit from playing and are given more freedom by coaches to behave like normal students, from scholarship recipients, who receive $75,000 or so in tuition and other benefits each year and who are forced to follow employee-like rules set by their bosses/coaches. They’re recruited for football, they spend most of their time on football, and they answer chiefly to the athletic department, not the academic faculty. Put all that together with the fact that their activities generate tens of millions in revenue for the university and ta da — you’ve got an employment relationship. Can’t wait for the first strike during bowl season.

I've said for years that the lowest level of professional sports is college ball.  There is too much money on the table to recognize it as anything but professional.  When the football coach at a state university is often the highest paid employee in the state, it's hard to argue that state priorities aren't out of order.

Let's go ahead and recognize college ball as professional, and the NCAA can just deal with it.