The NLRB v. the NCAA

I am in favor of anything that sticks it to the NCAA:

College Players Granted Right To Form Union

By BEN STRAUSS and STEVE EDER  MARCH 26, 2014

CHICAGO — A regional director of the National Labor Relations Board ruled Wednesday that a group of Northwestern football players were employees of the university and have the right to form a union and bargain collectively.

For decades, the N.C.A.A. and college sports have functioned on the bedrock principle of the student-athlete, with players rewarded with scholarships to compete for their university. But Peter Ohr, the regional N.L.R.B. director, tore down that familiar construct in a 24-page decision. He ruled that all Northwestern’s scholarship football players should be eligible to form a union based on a litany of factors, including how much time they devote to football (as many as 50 hours during some weeks), the control exerted by the coaching staff and their scholarships, which Ohr deemed a contract for compensation. “It cannot be said that the employer’s scholarship players are ‘primarily students,’ ” the decision said.

The NCAA has captured a goose laying golden eggs, and they will be under increasing pressure to share them. Can Athletic Directors continue to balance their budgets on the backs of poor, disproportionately black football and basketball players while subsidizing the lily-white swim teams that don't generate enough revenue to buy a dozen half-caf lattes at Starbucks?

THE TAXMAN COMETH...Since you ask, here are the IRS rules for the tax treatment of scholarships and fellowships. This is important:

A scholarship is generally an amount paid or allowed to a student at an educational institution for the purpose of study. A fellowship is generally an amount paid to an individual for the purpose of research.

If you receive a scholarship or fellowship grant, all or part of the amounts you receive may be tax-free.

Qualified scholarship and fellowship grants are treated as tax-free amounts if the following conditions are met:

• You are a candidate for a degree at an educational institution that maintains a regular faculty and curriculum and normally has a regularly enrolled body of students in attendance at the place where it carries on its educational activities; and
• Amounts you receive as a scholarship or fellowship grant are used for tuition and fees required for enrollment or attendance at the educational institution, or for fees, books, supplies, and equipment required for courses at the educational institution.

 However!

You must include in gross income amounts used for incidental expenses, such as room and board, travel, and optional equipment, and generally, amounts received as payments for teaching, research, or other services required as a condition for receiving the scholarship or fellowship grant. Also, you must include in income any part of the scholarship or fellowship that represents payments for services.

I wonder how many folks (athletes or otherwise) are reporting room and board subsidies as ordinary income.

Presumably, unionized athletes could be compensated like a PhD on a fellowship - the tuition portion of the scholarship award continues to be tax-free but any payments above that are taxable.

Comments

[Jim Eagle]

Okay. Now I put my hands up in the air and say cease and decease:)

[Threadkiller]

http://www.politico.com/story/2014/03/allen-west-nlrb-football-unions-105074.html

[henry]

I assume they would refuse to play non union teams, or would this end up unionizing the service academies in toto? Grad students are not unionized (oh they try, but never get the votes), would the pro unions boycott athletes from non union teams?

[Ignatz]

So if you're behind by twenty in the fourth quarter with 30 seconds on the clock can you go on strike?

[Jim Eagle]

Where the hell this this guy Paul George come from?

[Miss Marple]

I amworn out and am going tobed, no doubt to dream of football players who need Obamacare or something.

Good night, all.

[Stephanie wherefore art thou springtime]

Every twenty yards you earn you have to take a mandatory 5 minute break.

The players with the best stats get chewed out for showing up the other players and told to revert to mediocrity.

No more dating between players/cheerleaders errr workers as that causes issues in the workplace.

[DrJ]

Anthropogenic Climate Change Update: we are getting hammered by an old-fashioned Midwestern thunderstorm, Donner und Blitzen and all.

What makes it unusual is that we also have tornado warnings for two locations. This is not common, so for the last hour that is all the local newcritters can talk about (preempting all other shows).

We need the rain, and it will help to get the Oak Tree pollen out of the air. The tornado stuff shows that the people here are rookies.

[Clarice Feldman]

As I've said earlier, the NLRB is not crazy enough to sustain this.

[cathyf]

The 1098-T gives the total scholarship aid in one box, and the total tuition and fees in another. You have to keep receipts for the books.

The Glee Club tux didn't count as equipment required for a class, alas...

[MarkO]

This ruling would simply put an end to college sports.

[Captain Hate]

The apocalypse is coming:

http://www.heraldsun.com/sports/colleges/x1548111324/Coach-K-wont-stump-for-ACC-anymore

[Frau Unterleib über alles]

"The apocalypse is coming..."

I hope there is a senior discount.

[Beasts of England]

Would the non-union teams be scabs?

lol, Steph and Ig!

[Frau Wetterfrosch]

DrJot -
All we've had so far is a bit of feeble rain. Maybe your global warming climate change will work its way south.

[Ignatz]

I've never seen more than five minutes of Modern Family but what I've seen suggests there is no deeper circle of hell than being forced to watch it for eternity.
When not even Al Bundy and Sofia whatever her name is can save your ass, we finally know what fresh hell this is.
Gack!

[Gus]

NLRB is useful for what??

[Gus]

I think requiring ALL ATHLETES to enter a University based on the ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS without regard to RACE, might end this charade. Let the Unions begin!!!

[Danube on iPad]

Does anyone really think we still govern ourselves in any meaningful way?

[Beasts of England]

On the local level, some, Danube. State, not so much. Federal, not at all.

[Thomas Collins]

There would also be tax implications for the schools if the students playing football and basketball are classified as employees performing services in a regular commercial business. The income from these businesses would be subject to the tax on unrelated business taxable income under section 511-514 of the Internal Revenue Code.

http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p598.pdf

Ultimately, however, I agree with clarice that the local NLRB office ruling will be overturned.

[Thomas Collins]

Now, I suppose the schools could argue that although the athletes are employees for labor law purposes, they are students for tax purposes. The IRS, in its administration of the tax statutes, is not obligated to follow the NLRB. But if this ruling stood, which it won't, it might encourage the IRS to reevaluate its approach to student athletics.

[pagar]

The nlrb--I believe this clears it up.

http://nicedeb.wordpress.com/2014/03/26/the-horrendous-criminal-enterprise-known-as-the-democrat-party/

[daddy]

I'd be very interested in reading resumes for the Cromwell position

Rick,

I am only interested in the Robespierre position: "Off with that guys head and here's why."

I will support you for Cromwell if you support me for Robespierre. Deal?

[pagar]

It has been a pleasure to read some of this morning's stories on the Internet.

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/tom-blumer/2014/03/27/la-times-political-editor-worries-democrats-handcuffs-point-image-proble

[rse]

http://pjmedia.com/blog/the-show-of-support-for-common-core-in-georgia/?singlepage=true

is a new article describing the behind the scenes coordination by insiders to project an appearance that there is no real ire over the Common Core. I suspect something comparable in other states.

Was told PJ is trying to decide how much true interest there is in CC and are gauging it by comments. Good place to share anecdotes.

[narciso]

Would they play any better, if they were on the clock?

[narciso]

You don't say, what was your first clue?

http://hotair.com/archives/2014/03/27/us-intel-putin-move-on-eastern-ukraine-likely/

[Jeff Dobbs]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CATHYF!!!

[Miss Marple]

rse, The anti-CC groups in Indiana are very organized and large. In our state the teachers don't like the testing and lack of control of the curriculum and have joined forces with the parents.

My fear, however, is that Pence will try to sneak it in under another name, due to the influence of the Chamber of Commerce.

[Jim Eagle]

Obama says he is a great admirer of the Pope

Liar.

[narciso]

Does it contain actual knowledge, or constructivist mind arson, then it's common
core, or some other variant.

[narciso]

happy birthday, Cathyf.

[Jim Eagle]

Forgot to add: Happy Birthday to WonderMom, Cathyf

[henry]

HB CathyF!

[Captain Hate]

HB CathyF

Btw, Levin said that Johnny Boehner has stated that a scheduling conflict won't allow him to attend Steve LaTourette's RINOpalooza this weekend; but those rock-ribbed conservatives, Eric Cantor and Kevin McCarthy, will be there.

[DrJ]

Happy Birthday, cathyf!

WSJ:

The International Monetary Fund said it reached a preliminary deal to lend Ukraine $14 billion to $18 billion in exchange for what Ukrainian officials described as "painful" economic reforms, including budget cuts, higher gas prices and a less stable exchange rate.

The IMF agreement, which still requires approval from the IMF's board, will unlock aid from other donors, as well, with Ukraine set to receive a total of $27 billion over the next two years, IMF official Nikolay Gueorguiev told a news conference in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev.

Looks like Gazprom/Putin will get paid.

[Marlene]

Happy Birthday cathyf! Wow,the wind howled all night here,no snow but points Downeast received the brunt of the storm.
Anyone see O with the Pope? He gave the Pope seeds from the White House garden in the gift exchange.

[NK(withnewsoftware)]

Happy Birthday CathyF!

[NK(withnewsoftware)]

Dr. J-- when the IMF hag and Putin talk about 'stability', they both mean 'everybody gets paid'. And as you note, Gazprom gets paid in this deal.

[narciso]

IMF, is much like DCF, you don't want to ever be in their care, and the cure is worse then the ailment, Curiously, Russia, Bolivia, and Venezuela, were all under IMF management at one time or another,

[Janet - the districts lie fallow, while the Capitol gorges itself]

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2014/03/hilarious_only_one_person_slow_claps_after_obama_speaks_in_netherlands.html

He should have brought his Styrofoam columns.

[NK(withnewsoftware)]

narciso raises an interesting point. Since the end of the Cold War (prior to that IMF was a USA/UK anti-Sovirt play thing) what's the relationship between IMF 'supervision' and subsequent authoritarian regimes in the aid receiving countries? I bet it's a high correlation.

[daddy]

Belay my last.

Today we had as a jump-seater one of our 777 Standardization pilots and we picked his brain as to their hypothesis on the missing Malaysian 777.

His opinion, and I believe the opinion of most in that community, is that it was not mechanical error but along CT's idea of intentional pilot/hi-jacker actions, probably pilot.

He had flown what I fly for years, so he knew my plane well, but his well explained reason for his current belief was that the 777 is "a generation beyond what I fly." He said that instead of that convoluted process we go thru trying to isolate a fire, the plane does it instantly and automatically, and there is almost no human interaction in the process. He could envision the type of smoke/fire isolation problem I envisioned for the MD-11, but not for the 777.

Instead he said that the 777 had 10 different electrical generators, (not 3 plus the APU LIKE US) and that each was capable of powering almost everything, and that some of the stuff that quit transmitting, the TCAS for instance, came off the most essential battery bus, so that in his opinion it had to be an intentional decision by a fairly well educated guy in the cockpit to de-power these systems.

He had some other decent reasons to target the flight crew for such a mystifying attempt to get off the radar screen, such as the general approbation to suicide in Islamic culture. If for instance the Captain, for whatever reason, wanted to commit suicide, lets say for insurance sake, better to disappear into no-where than to be findable in the usual areas where search crews would be searching.

Obviously we won't know until and unless we find the black boxes, but thought it worth while that the general consensus of our 777 with technical knowledge of the plane was to disregard the mechanical failure problem and to focus instead on intentional human malfeasance.

[Janet - the districts lie fallow, while the Capitol gorges itself]

Happy Birthday, CathyF!!! Lots of love to you!

[Miss Marple]

NK, The question is whether the aid causes the authoritarian regimes, or whether it is mostly authoritarian regimes who need the aid.

[NK(withnewsoftware)]

Speaking of Obummer's 'Rainbow Tour' to Europe, Paul Meringoff posted a story called 'Imperial Trappings for an Empty Suit" in which he rightly says:

"It was, I suspect, the jarring juxtaposition of the two phenomena — a president who travels like Julius Caesar but negotiates like Neville Chamberlain — that most amused Russia’s oligarchs. Like the way the juxtaposition of Greek columns and platitudinous mush amused (but also dismayed) observant Americans."

Just so.

[pagar]

Happy Birthday CathyF! May you enjoy many, many more.

[narciso]

Chile is probably the exception, but most every country you can consider, received the McMurphy treatment, and went for the worse,

in part because it pushes for cuts in public sector, and tax hikes, almost no progrowth component,

[NK(withnewsoftware)]

The 3 examples you gave were Drunken Yeltsin taking IMF 'aid'-- that yielded Putin-- The Venezuelan Oligarchs taking it when oil was $15/Barrel-- that brought in Chavez's faux populism, and dirt poor Bolivia taking it-- and getting Evo, I would add Argentina winding up with the Kirschners (but they did it to themselves with their debt orgy.) I'd really like to see the rest of the 90s IMF aid list, and see what happened politically after taking IMF 'medicene'.

[narciso]

I thought Searchlight Harry, said that part was out of the bill, McTurtle, you have some explaining to do,

[NK(withnewsoftware)]

Even CBS is mocking Obummer's European 'Rainbow Tour'. This whole Obummer scam is ending up just like Andrew Lloyd Webber's 'Evita', a sick political farce, ending up in massive repression, corruption and national bankruptcy. "Let's hear it for the Rainbow Tour it's been an incredible success, we weren't quite sure we had a few doubts..."

[narciso]

Well the Caracazo, which was result of the IMF 'haircut' that the late Carlos Andres Perez had campaigned against, I wrote a paper or two on orthodox economics, versus demand state dirigism in the Americas, the secret ingredient is economic growth, which often is stunted,

[Ignatz]

Cuts in the public sector are pro-growth but are always more than offset by the tax increases and other absurdities like "higher gas prices" forced on the beggars.

Any growth and recovery that occurs is in spite of not because of the IMF and once it does occur the tax increases are permanent and the state simply grows like a weed back to its former size and greater.

California has just gone through a similar somewhat self regulated cycle; it's just as sick as it was before, probably slightly worse and will plummet even further with the next downturn.

Which is worse; being invaded by Russia or the IMF?

[Beester]

I have no sympathy for the NCAA--highly compensated leeches. They've used football and men's basketball as feeders for the NFL and NBA while insisting that student-athletes comply with mountains of regulations. Sound familiar? Those pro teams should establish farm clubs like the NHL and MLB. Promising athletes would have choices--farm club or college. Students should be admitted based on academic merit. Of course, that would mean all those expensive academic centers, tutors, compliance officers and grad assistants wouldn't be needed yet graduation rates would improve. It would put the "student" back in student-athlete. Alumni will still cheer for their alma maters and universities could still use athletic competitions to spearhead fundraising efforts.

[narciso]

It's a tossup, of course, that variety of austerity economics, is then demagogued on by the likes of Krugman, like the bad deal, that Cameron made with the LDP.

[Porchlight]

Happy birthday cathyf!

[NK(withnewsoftware)]

Daddy-- thanks for that 777 Driver's insight. That kind of info, as you say, implies deliberate actions by the crew, or someone else not a fire crisis, and 5 hour ghost flight.

[narciso]

Yes, it starts to look more like the Egypt Air situation, for reasons, 'beyond understanding now,' did she shut off the air
circulation, to the passenger section,

[Ignatz]

Concur with Beester.
Those few athletes with the good sense and brains to place an education first can be student athletes as the military academy kids are.
The rest can either turn pro at their majority or go apply for a scholarship at McDU or BurgerKing Tech.

Of course we would have to pry the present system from the cold dead hands of the NCAA to impose a little sanity.

[NK(withnewsoftware)]

Other than Harper's Canada these last 6 years or Reagan 81-86, has there been a consistently better governed country in the Western Hemisphere than Chile since 'the coup'?

[Ignatz]

--that variety of austerity economics, is then demagogued on by the likes of Krugman--

Exactly. The public spending restraint always gets the blame for the bad results of the economy killing tax increases and smothering regulations, which are seldom even mentioned.
Kinda the worst of all possible worlds, which is pretty much what one should expect.

[narciso]

that was a he, and yet Bachelet is going to screw it up as well for them,

[narciso]

A question, that needn't be asked;

http://babalublog.com/2014/03/26/is-the-u-s-state-dept-in-cahoots-with-the-new-york-times-again-babalu-blog-all-along-the-watchtower/#comments

[Captain Hate]

I'm disappointed we didn't get included here:

http://www.jammiewf.com/2014/democrat-lunatic-alan-grayson-really-upset-we-called-him-a-lunatic/

Must try harder!

[Threadkiller]

BBC News - North Korea: Students required to get Kim Jong-un haircut

http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-26747649

Union label.

[narciso]

Just because he paints himself, blue and white, and sits in a bowl of warm creeble,
why would we think him daft?

[henry]

CH, we didn't click on his ads often enough to drain his campaign coffers into TM's wallet. Simple enough to fix if we keep our eyes closed when we click a couple times a day.

[Ignatz]

Happy Birthday to the wise and delightful cathyf.

[centralcal]

Happy birthday, cathyf.

[Ignatz]

How was the ultrasound or scan or whatever it was, TK?
Hope you're doing well.

[NK(withnewsoftware)]

All the best TK.

[Porchlight]

Begich trailing for the first time in new poll:

http://washingtonexaminer.com/poll-shows-alaska-democratic-sen.-mark-begich-trailing-for-the-first-time/article/2546200

[Jim Eagle]

I have to agree with Javier here. SarahPAC made a bad decision endorsing Benasquisto

Very checkered performance in most of her political positions plus there is her husband's unfettered enthusiasm for anything Dem.

BTW, regarding Grayson He came out supporting Putin's takeover of Crimea in a House hearing yesterday. Eejit.

[Captain Hate]

henry, he didn't mention anybody calling him a wife-beater.

[Ignatz]

Grayson's comments on Crimea.
To think he once clerked for Scalia.

[Janet - the districts lie fallow, while the Capitol gorges itself]

from May 2012 - Dave (in MA) made this photo to go with Iowahawk's comment - "Funnier than Spinal Tap playing the amusement park ampitheater. At this rate, he'll be spinning a sign for Mattress World by election day." Ouch!

a speech in a couple's garage & they weren't sure if they'd vote for him....
now we're down to one foreigner clapping.

[narciso]

It's rare to get that level of category error, in one paragraph,

[narciso]

this special snowflake, is getting more attention then deserved;

http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/03/26/4021132/gop-insiders-incensed-fascinated.html

I suspect he's like that turncoat that ended up backing McAwful

[NK(withnewsoftware)]

"Imperial trappings for an empty suit". Just so.

[Jim Eagle]

Or how smart an investor he is:)

[Marlene]

Jack,we noticed that the FL CD 19 ads were quite nasty. There also seems to be bad blood between Clawson and Kreegle.

[Threadkiller]

Thanks for asking, Ig. The results come back today.

Two Sunday's ago I had odd pains show up in my appendix area. No fever, no nausea, no signs of appendicitis. I went to the doc on Tuesday and he was concerned that the pain was coming from an area that was related to my cancer surgery in 2010. The pain stayed consistent until this last Monday. Now it is gone.

My friend suggested that they will find a bottle cap.

I will report back as soon as I know. In my report I will include a short story that details my displeasure with the billing and scheduling arms of healthcare and how it can be fixed.

[Threadkiller]

Happy Birthday , cathyf!

[Marlene]

CH,I'm not sure if that meeting is this week-end.The little birdie isn't going to AI for a couple of weeks.Unless the weasels are having a secret meeting before the big event. ?

[jimmyk on iPhone]

"Other than Harper's Canada these last 6 years or Reagan 81-86, has there been a consistently better governed country in the Western Hemisphere than Chile since 'the coup'?"

As Narciso said, they are in danger of losing that. Chile has lived off the pro-market reforms of Pinochet, just as Clinton lived off the Reagan policies. Eventually reality sets in.

I'd include Australia, despite the Gillard/Rudd error, and a couple of the former SSRs or eastern bloc states among those that have done well.

[Ignatz]

--My friend suggested that they will find a bottle cap.--

LOL, TK.
Please, no details when you pass it.

[Threadkiller]

Please, no details when you pass it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6tni0uYEWw

[Captain Hate]

What could go wrong when Adultery of the Heart talks religion with theological jeanyus Sally Quinn:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/jimmy-carter-says-pope-francis-promised-women-should-have-a-greater-role/2014/03/26/a2ba17a2-b517-11e3-8cb6-284052554d74_story.html

[Jim Eagle]

narciso,

That Fernandez/Scott kerfuffle however does demonstrate how bland Scott has been lately in promoting himself and his political achievements. Then you have that scumbag Schorosh and his wife trying to prop up Crist with slurs and innuendo.

Watch Florida governors race for the mud fight of the century.

[Threadkiller]

Thanks NK.

[James D.]

Does anyone really think we still govern ourselves in any meaningful way?

Nope. And I don't really see how we ever will, given that most of the R's outside of the Tea Party (and a handful of others) aren't really interested in seeing power devolved back to the citizenry, any more than the D's are.

[Jane]

Happy Birthday to brilliant Cathy!

[Ignatz]

--Other than Harper's Canada these last 6 years or Reagan 81-86, has there been a consistently better governed country in the Western Hemisphere than Chile since 'the coup'?

Posted by: NK(withnewsoftware) | March 27, 2014 at 09:03 AM--

No offense NK but that comment seems kind of inconsistent.
You're comparing episodic good governance of a few years attached to individuals with consistent good governance over forty years by many.
BTW jimmy, NK's criterion was Western Hemisphere.

[jimmyk on iPhone]

Happy birthday, cathyf. All the best, TK.

The IMF is yet another example of that "tyranny of experts" that Easterly writes of, just on a different set of victims. And as the DSK episode showed, they live like royalty.

[jimmyk on iPhone]

Thanks, Ig, too early for reading comprehension. Anyway, isn't Australia just really far west?

[Jane]

Didn't we enter into a treaty under Obama with Ukraine that in exchange for their nukes we would protect them? Who else do we have the same agreement with.

if we keep doing this stuff Obama's prediction about a nuke in NYC won't be that far off.

[Captain Hate]

Marlene, in the RedState article it talked about the meeting being "next weekend".

http://saraforamerica.com/2014/03/26/top-ten-things-to-do-on-amelia-island-while-planning-to-crush-beat-the-snot-out-of-conservatives/

[Jim Eagle]

TK's bottle cap reminds me that there is a story out there where some politician passed a kidney stone during a debate. I remember at an office Christmas party once, I had an associate with kidney stones show up wearing a tux with a small strainer tucked into his breast pocket:)

[Ignatz]

Australia is a lot closer to the United States than California is, jimmy. :)