If the NW players are just trying to Unionize for a pay check it won't go very far and shouldn't, but if the efforts are about protecting players and compensating them, specially when an athlete is injured - then there is merit in their cause. When scholarship players are injured, career ending, the University will let them finish their academics for the scholarship term, but that's pretty much it, when they finish, the University is finished with them..... making them employees gives the student athlete some ammo for compensation, specially when the injuries may be life changing. They put their bodies on the line with the Universities making literally millions from their efforts, some type of worker comp type coverage, at minimum, needs to be awarded. There's miles of road to travel with this suit brought by the NW players, and to Unionize probably isn't the best answer, but the disparity between the NCAA with all it's power and money and the solitary student athlete needs to be addressed. Look at the salaries of the large, division one, university coaches? There's no money in College football, this is amateur sports?
Most college sports programs lose money. Everyone thinks of Texas, Michigan, Alabama, Notre Dame and a handful of other schools. But they are by far the exception, not the norm. College scholarship athletes are getting free tuition, free boarding, free cafeteria plan, and free books. That's roughly 25-50k each and every year depending on the university. Way more than the average person in the U.S. makes each year! Fuck the unions. Keep those parasites out before they ruin yet another successful industry.