Civil Rights Historian Says College Athletes ‘Are Literally Serfs’

Historian: College Athletes 'Are Literally Serfs' (CNS News)

The National Labor Relations Board ruled last week that football players at Northwestern University can unionize, thereby creating the nation’s first college athlete’s union. NRLB Regional Director Peter Sung Ohr issued a decision on March 26, saying “all grant-in-aid scholarship players for the Employer’s football team who have not exhausted their playing eligibility are ‘employees,’” adding “I direct an immediate election this case.”

“The first week in August, the scholarship and walk-on players begin their football season with a month-long training camp, which is considered the most demanding part of the season,” the NLRB noted in its decision. The football players also “devote 20 to 25 hours per week on summer workouts before the start of training camp.”