The idea that a union shop leader would be able to schedule practice breaks or negotiate travel upgrades for Northwestern football players always seemed a bit preposterous.
Football teams may be collective units but they are run by dictators, as anyone who ever watched Nick Saban in action would surely agree. So it wasn't terribly surprising Monday when the National Labor Relations Board punted on the idea of union representation for Northwestern's players, saying it would disrupt the competitive balance in college football.
Not that the players were all on board with the concept of a union to begin with.