ESPN’s Paul Finebaum is never one to underplay something he potentially sees as a problem. So on Monday he addressed what he feels might be the biggest issue college football will face in the years to come.
Appearing on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning, Finebaum was asked by Cole Cubelic about the recent unionization efforts that Penn State began this past week. Finebaum made it clear that unionization represents “the biggest issue” that college football will ever have to deal with.
Finebaum explained that unionization will lead to a demand for revenue sharing. While he doesn’t know if or when full unionization among college football players might occur, he believes that it will make the NIL controversy seem insignificant by comparison.
“Very dangerous, Cole,” Finebaum said, via Saturday Down South. “What bubbled up and what almost happened at Big Ten Media Days I think is the future of the sport … but we think NIL is an issue and it’s a terrible issue and everybody from Nick Saban on down showed up at Media Days reiterating and regurgitating what they’ve already said. But the biggest issue I think facing college football is the unionization, and once that occurs, the demand for revenue sharing. I think what is about to happen, and I can’t tell you whether it’s this year or next year, or 5 to 10 years from now, is going to make NIL look like nursery school rhymes.”
The Penn State situation isn’t quite unionization and has been clarified to be an association representing player interests. But it the eyes of many, it’s a distinction without a difference.
There have been efforts in the past to unionize players at a particular university here and there. But nothing exists at a national level like that.
Finebaum is right about one thing: College football unionization would create a cosmic shift in the sport that would make all other changes seem superficial by comparison.
Is unionization the biggest issue the sport is facing right now though?