Fansided

South Carolina football players feel like employees, Spurrier sees their point

By Patrick Schmidt

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Nov 2, 2013; Columbia, SC, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Steve Spurrier looks on during the fourth quarter against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Williams-Brice Stadium. The Gamecocks defeated the Bulldogs 34-16. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 2, 2013; Columbia, SC, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Steve Spurrier looks on during the fourth quarter against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Williams-Brice Stadium. The Gamecocks defeated the Bulldogs 34-16. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports /

The dust has settled somewhat after the landmark decision to allow football players from Northwestern to form a union and according to Josh Kendall of The State, it got the attention of South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Steve Spurrier who has been a proponent of paying players.

"“I see their point, a little bit,” he said of the Northwestern case. “I hope it doesn’t come down to the point where all schools are forming unions. I hope the NCAA – the BCS conferences especially – that can afford to give a stipend of $4,000 to $5,000 so college football and basketball players can help their families with travel expenses and, maybe, live a little bit better as a student-athlete.”"

Currently, South Carolina law prevents public sector employees from forming a union, according to Kendall, which would kill the case of South Carolina’s players even if they were deemed employees.

And a few Gamecocks feel they are employees because of the time and effort put forth athletics than academics.

Tight end Rory Anderson, “I feel like I’m an employee out here. I am coming in working hard every day, going to classes, going to study hall, doing everything I need to do. It gets hard. I am not going to lie to you. I am busy from when I get up at 8:30 or earlier than that until after practice and then a lot of guys have study hall after practice. We put in a lot of hours every week. We put in 40-plus hours a week when we are practicing.”

“We put more time out here than in class and all that,” Junior running back Shon Carson said. “I feel like we have the right to (be in a union).”

This has the potential to radically change the foundation of the NCAA and college athletics depending on how the court handles the appeal by Northwestern and how the players handle this case.

Do you think college football players should be financially compensated considering they can literally die playing football which generates millions upon millions of dollars a year for the university?

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