For decades, student athletes have always been defined as students, not employees. The current system now offers student-athletes scholarships to pay for their education in exchange for hours of practice and competition for their institution. However, a movement was created earlier this year spurred by the Northwestern Football program to change this policy. The Northwestern Football Program wants college athletes to be represented by a union and labeled as employees. For starters, Northwestern football players have started a petition for all athletes to be able to unionize. Their goal is to be recognized as school employees, which would alter the economic and power dynamics for all of college athletics. This endeavor began when a group of Northwest football players led by former quarterback Kain Colter submitted signed union cards and a petition to be represented by a union to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the federal organization that recognizes groups seeking collective bargaining human rights (Farrey, 2014). The reasoning behind forming a union was that athletes generate money for universities through labor controlled by school administrators. Playing sports is not a prerequisite for obtaining a successful academic degree, but it can be an obstacle to obtaining a degree. Furthermore, employment law tests suggest that student athletes are indeed employees and that play is considered work (Hruby, 2014). “The National Labor Relations Board has determined that Northwestern football players are employees of the university and legally able to organize despite claims by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) that athletes are students first” (Becker, 2014) . This ruling meant that there would be three athletes...... middle of paper ...... viewed May 26, 2014, from http://therotation.sportsonearthblog.com/can-college-athletes-unionize/Kirk , J. (2014, January 28). No, college football players don't unionize to pay to play - SBNation.com. Retrieved May 26, 2014, from http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2014/1/28/5354718/college-football-players-union-pay-for-playNCAA How Athletics Scholarships Work ? NCAA public home page - NCAA.org. (n.d.). Retrieved May 28, 2014, from http://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/media-center/how-do-athletics-scholarships-workNCPA Mission & Goals. (n.d.). Retrieved May 26, 2014, from http://www.ncpanow.org/about/mission-goalsStrauss, B., & Eder, S. (2014, March 26). The New York Times. Retrieved May 26, 2014, from http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/27/sports/ncaafootball/national-labor-relations-board-rules-northwestern-players-are-employees-and-can-unionize. html?_r=0