The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has meetings with their own workers and college administrators, but do any of them participate on any division one team? The answer is no, they might have once in their life but right now they do not. So why is it fair that the athletes are not in these meetings? Why are they not allowed to give advice on how their athletic career will be in college? The answer is no, it is not fair. Also they should be allowed to be involved with the decision making. The student-athletes need their voice to be heard. My opinion is that I do believe the student-athletes should be a part of the NCAA meetings, it is about them. Another thought is that the NCAA will be able to get a different view of things. For example an older person can look at a painting and they may see it but they will probably put more thought into it and possibly have ideas about what the artist was possibly thinking or what the artist was trying to show the viewer, but a young kid may look at it and they will tell you what it is plus all the colors and tell you something totally different then what your thought was when you looked at it. Although people have different views age does have a big part in how you view things. Also it will just give the NCAA a different perspective about things if it comes from the student-athletes. The only governing body involved with this issue is the NCAA. They are the only ones with the power to say yes or no, and the only ones the athletes want to be a part of so that they can have a voice. The schools or school administrators may possibly have an impact on the current issue to get student-athletes involved with the NCAA meetings. There are many different things that the NCAA would need to consider before making a decision like this. Is it socially acceptable? Yes it would be, not only for the NCAA but also the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and the National Association Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) as well. It will possibly help their student-athletes get involved as well. If the NCAA does something or puts in a rule the NJCAA and the NAIA try to follow a long by adding what they can to be close to what the NCAA has. Would it be legal? Of course, having others involved would not make it illegal. Is it economical? For the most part yes it would be. It may be a little pricey to find a way to get all these athletes, administrators, and board members together to meet, but there is money somewhere. Would it be ethical? Absolutely, the NCAA having its own members involved would be great. Is there any politics involved? No not necessarily, the hardest parts would be which athletes to pick to go to these meetings and where to have such a big meeting. The final question for the NCAA would be is it educational? Yes, it would help the student-athletes think outside the box and not only at their own school but others as whole. The Michigan daily (2014) said this about student-athletes deserve a voice:
Players at Northwestern University have filed paperwork to form a players’ union under the National Labor Relations Board. The group call the College Athletes Players Association, has outline eleven goals in order to impove their safety and future of college athletics. (P.1)
Unfortunately the NCAA disregarded it because “student-athletes are not employees by any definition and therefore have no rights to collectively bargain” (as cited by the Michigan daily, 2014, P.1). As stated about it seems that Northwestern University has tried to make a step but the NCAA has denied them in that way to be heard. The player’s goals are not to outrageous, they only want some more “attention to injuries, scholarship guarantees and allowing student-athletes freedom for employment or other commercial opportunities” (as cited by the Michigan daily, 2014, P.1). These students do not want thousands of dollars each month but they just want a