Historic day as Northwestern players decide union

EVANSTON, Ill. – In a historic vote, Northwestern University football players cast secret ballots Friday on whether to form the nation’s first union for college athletes – a decision that could change the landscape of American amateur sports.

“You got to give the people what they want!” one of the players shouted at reporters, who were kept away from the players as they entered a campus building to vote. Some waved and another showed off some dance moves.

The results of the closely watched vote will not be known for some time. After two rounds of voting on this 19,000-student campus, the ballot boxes were sealed and will remain so for weeks, months, perhaps even years as the university challenges the effort to unionize the team.

Still, some of those behind the push were already celebrating, saying that even if a union is voted down, the campaign has the power to change things.

“We’re one step closer to a world where college athletes are not stuck with sports-related medical bills, do not lose their scholarships when they are injured, are not subject to unnecessary brain trauma and are given better opportunities to complete their degree,” said former Northwestern quarterback Kain Colter, who helped lead the effort.

The full National Labor Relations Board has agreed to hear Northwestern’s appeal of a regional director’s March ruling that the players are university employees and thus can unionize. Ballots will remain impounded until that process is finished, and perhaps until after any court fight that might follow a decision.

Supporters say a union would help athletes obtain better compensation and other benefits. A day before the vote, the NCAA endorsed a plan that would give big schools like Northwestern much more autonomy to address such issues for its athletes.