It's been a week since the news broke that a group of NU players, led by Kain Colter, had begun an attempt to join a labor union, setting off a national discussion about the status of student athletes.

I've avoided commenting about the issue until now.  I have had zero interest in wading into this issue.



So, in keeping with the courageous history of this website, I've decided to punt, at least for a while further.  In the meantime, enjoy the images below, which imagine what it might have looked like had NU's players always been unionized.

What if NU always had unionized players?



Labor unions sometimes use a huge inflatable rat to symbolize scab workers.  NU, of course, has its own inflatable mascot, which it could have brought out of retirement and pressed into service:



Would Kafka have crossed union lines to take down the Hawkeyes?  Perhaps...



Silliness aside, I do think that the players' requests-- particularly the ones pertaining to player safety, concussion protection and evaluation, and medical coverage-- are totally reasonable.  However, it remains to be seen if unionizing is the best way to bring about these improvements.