Northwestern University football players can unionize, federal agency says

Crusader · 03-30-2014, 05:23 PM

Originally Posted by SloMotion

Exactly. With unionization/employee status, they're scholarships & other perks they enjoy for playing college football will undoubtedly be counted as income and subject to tax, IMO ... just as with any other employee, unionized or not.

Someone should have told them, "be careful what you wish for, you just might get it" ... something like only 1% of these guys make it to the NFL and Northwestern certainly ain't no football-factory, .

The whole thing is just absurd if you ask me.

Well thats the thing. 1% makes the NFL and a few of the guys who makes it all the way cash in big-time. The rest doesn't get a whole lot of dough and they want a piece since the schools in D1 football make a ton from their work.

SloMotion · 03-31-2014, 05:48 AM

Originally Posted by Crusader

Well thats the thing. 1% makes the NFL and a few of the guys who makes it all the way cash in big-time. The rest doesn't get a whole lot of dough and they want a piece since the schools in D1 football make a ton from their work.

Yeah, it's a very convoluted issue. You could say those that don't make it to the NFL are compensated with a degree and/or the means to make (on average) a million more in salary throughout their career as opposed to what they would make without that degree, but it's been documented that a lot of these athletes are just passed through in order to keep them on the field/court & there is no real practical application in their degrees. Many of the athletes in NCAA sports that pro careers are not available to, actually do study/complete degrees and these are the ones that will be hurt the most.

So now what?

Declare them as employees and the scholarships, financial aid & whatever else becomes taxable income. On average, the taxable income for these athletes becomes approx. $75k, just based on what it costs to attend a major university. Add in a base salary, and it becomes even more, say $90k. That's a pretty big tax liability for a single person/no dependents. It will be a rude awakening for some.

Then, what about the kid who's on a bowling scholarship at a Div II school who's suddenly declared an employee? Or the student athlete in a Div I school that participates in a not-so-popular sport, like track & field? Their projected salaries/compensation will undoubtedly fail to cover any tax liability they now assume as their scholarships/financial aid become taxable income.

This is a big time money grab and attempt to legitimize the NCAA as the minor-league to the NFL, IMO ... as I spelled out in another thread. Just sayin',

.

03-30-2014, 05:23 PM	#1
Crusader Resident Swede Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Märsta, Sweden Posts: 8,046	Re: Northwestern University football players can unionize, federal agency says Originally Posted by SloMotion Exactly. With unionization/employee status, they're scholarships & other perks they enjoy for playing college football will undoubtedly be counted as income and subject to tax, IMO ... just as with any other employee, unionized or not. Someone should have told them, "be careful what you wish for, you just might get it" ... something like only 1% of these guys make it to the NFL and Northwestern certainly ain't no football-factory, . The whole thing is just absurd if you ask me. Well thats the thing. 1% makes the NFL and a few of the guys who makes it all the way cash in big-time. The rest doesn't get a whole lot of dough and they want a piece since the schools in D1 football make a ton from their work.

03-31-2014, 05:48 AM	#2
SloMotion 5000 POSTS! + Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 6,776 Blog Entries: 15	Re: Northwestern University football players can unionize, federal agency says Originally Posted by Crusader Well thats the thing. 1% makes the NFL and a few of the guys who makes it all the way cash in big-time. The rest doesn't get a whole lot of dough and they want a piece since the schools in D1 football make a ton from their work. Yeah, it's a very convoluted issue. You could say those that don't make it to the NFL are compensated with a degree and/or the means to make (on average) a million more in salary throughout their career as opposed to what they would make without that degree, but it's been documented that a lot of these athletes are just passed through in order to keep them on the field/court & there is no real practical application in their degrees. Many of the athletes in NCAA sports that pro careers are not available to, actually do study/complete degrees and these are the ones that will be hurt the most. So now what? Declare them as employees and the scholarships, financial aid & whatever else becomes taxable income. On average, the taxable income for these athletes becomes approx. $75k, just based on what it costs to attend a major university. Add in a base salary, and it becomes even more, say $90k. That's a pretty big tax liability for a single person/no dependents. It will be a rude awakening for some. Then, what about the kid who's on a bowling scholarship at a Div II school who's suddenly declared an employee? Or the student athlete in a Div I school that participates in a not-so-popular sport, like track & field? Their projected salaries/compensation will undoubtedly fail to cover any tax liability they now assume as their scholarships/financial aid become taxable income. This is a big time money grab and attempt to legitimize the NCAA as the minor-league to the NFL, IMO ... as I spelled out in another thread. Just sayin', .