Tim Thomas made 29 saves in the loss for Florid

Its a big week for NCAA college players. Anthony Duclair Coyotes Jersey Authentic . The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruled that a group of Northwestern college football players, led by quarterback Kain Colter, are employees and have the right to form a union and bargain collectively. The NLRB is a U.S. government agency that deals with labor law. This matters because as a bargaining unit, players as a group can now start to ask for more - a lot more. Think about how baseball was changed when the players unionized and fought for their rights. So this decision will potentially have a major impact on college sports and force the NCAA to change how it does business. For decades, the NCAA has offered scholarships in exchange for athletic services. However, the NLRB says that falls short, and with this ruling, threatens to tear down the very foundation of the NCAA and its billion dollar business model. Control Control Control In concluding that players were entitled to employee status, NLRB director Peter Ohr focused on the level of control that Northwestern exercised over its student athletes. That level of control, he said, moved players from being primarily students to being athletes that have earned the right to unionize. If they were primarily students, they couldnt unionize. In ruling that Northwestern players were athletes first (and students second), he relied on a bunch of factors to demonstrate control over the players that no longer made them primarily students (like others on campus) and effectively turned them into employees. Here are a few of these factors: (a) The NCAA limits athletic activities to 20 hours per week during the season and 8 hours during the offseason. Despite that, Northwestern players dedicated 50 to 60 hours a week on football during training camp, and another 40 to 50 hours a week during the football season. While the workouts that would take players beyond the 20 hour cap were deemed "voluntary", players knew if they didnt show up there would be serious consequences. Some days players had to engage in football related activities from 5:45am to 10:30pm. Devoting so many hours a week to football was a massive consideration for the NLRB. The players basically had a second job: football. (b) Players allege they were steered away from certain courses because they conflicted with football. Colter wanted to go to medical school but was discouraged from taking a pre-med course because it conflicted with his football schedule. He ultimately ended up transferring to psychology. (c) Players have to abide by restrictive social media policies, and cant refuse a friend request on Facebook from a coach. They have to let the coach know the type of car they drive. As well, players are subject to alcohol and drug policies, as well as anti-gambling and anti-hazing policies. A violation of these policies can result in serious sanctions, including suspensions and revocation of scholarships. (d) If a player wants to get a job off campus, he needs permission. Hes required to live on campus while a freshman and sophomore. He also cant do interviews without the coachs approval. (e) The player cant profit off his own likeness and image; thats reserved for the university and the NCAA. (f) A player is prohibited from swearing in public, and if a player "embarrasses" the team, he can be suspended for one game. A second offense can result in a 1 year suspension. Players who transfer to another school to play football must sit out a year before they can compete for the new school. (g) During the regular season, the players must wear a suit to home games. (h) Players are required to remain within a six-hour radius of campus prior to football games. These are just some of the factors that Ohr relied on when he concluded that the university was exercising a level of control that converted the students into employees. Also important was that Northwestern was providing compensation in the form of scholarships in return for services that had nothing to do with academics. All The Benchmarks of an Employment Relationship So when it all shakes out, Ohr believed that this case had all the standard benchmarks of an employer/employee relationship, including controlling the employees schedule, the discretion to hire, fire or suspend the employee and evidence of compensation. What Do the Players Want They want to negotiate limits on practice time and medical benefits. Thats their starting point. They will probably also ask for a stipend to reflect cost of attendance. Remember that scholarships cover a lot – living expenses, tuition, room and board and book fees – but not everything. At some point, players may ask to be paid. The NCAA is big business. The media deal for NCAA football is a $7.3 billion/10 year deal, while the March Madness deal is valued at $10.8 billion over 14 years. Northwestern generated $235 million in revenue between 2003 and 2012 off things like ticket sales, television contracts, merchandise sales and licensing agreements. In 2012-2013 alone, the program generated $30.1 million in revenue, while spending about $5 million on scholarships. The university also says that its expenses add up to about $22 million all in for the football program. In theory, the players as employees could also be entitled to disability insurance, workers compensation and maybe even a pension. They could also be taxed on non-scholarship income they receive. Next Steps: Appeal Central As for next steps, the players will hold a vote to form a union, while Northwestern appeals the decision to the next level at the NLRB. If Northwestern is unsuccessful on appeal, they will probably refuse to bargain with the students and take the matter to federal court. So we could still be years away from a final decision. That being said, this was a potentially historic win for the players and a step closer toward sharing in the billion dollar pie that is the NCAA. Martin Hanzal Coyotes Jersey Authentic . Toronto FC hosts the three-time Italian league champions in a friendly Aug. 7 at BMO Field, a game that Roma CEO Italo Zanzi said falls within a key part of their pre-season. Lawson Crouse Coyotes Jersey Authentic . According to Yahoo! Sports, the team has reached a five-year deal to play their home games on the roof of the Plaza Hotel and Casino. http://www.hockeycoyotesauthority.com/customized-c-3/ . Formula One Teams Association secretary general Oliver Weingarten says the organization collapsed over unpaid subscription fees and a failure to strike an agreement for 2014 with all 11 teams.(SportsNetwork.com) - The Ottawa Senators try to avoid a third straight setback on Tuesday night as they visit the Florida Panthers, a team they have had a ton of success against lately. The Sens are coming off an emotionally-filled 4-2 setback to Detroit on Sunday as Red Wings forward Daniel Alfredsson made his first trip back to Ottawa since leaving as a free agent this past offseason. Alfredsson was honored with a pregame video tribute and a standing ovation before later capping his return with an empty-net goal. Clarke MacArthur and Mika Zibanejad lit the lamp for the Senators, who stumbled to their sixth loss in eight. Robin Lehner stopped 19 pucks in defeat. "Theyre a team that if you give them those opportunities, theyre going to take advantage of them. They took what we gave them and they made it the difference," Ottawa head coach Paul MacLean said. Zibanejad has tried to be a difference-maker for the Senators as he scored in his third straight game. The sixth overall pick of the 2011 draft has eight goals and 11 points in 19 games this season, while MacArthur has tallied five goals and eight points in his previous seven contests. Ottawa recalled center Mike Hoffman from Binghamton of the American Hockey League on Monday and the 24-year-olds 26 points ranked second in the AHL at the time of his call up. Hoffman skated with Kyle Turris and Bobby Ryan during practice on Monday, while MacArthur joined Jason Spezza and Zibanejad on a line. MacLean may give Craig Anderson the start tonight given that the goaltender is 9-1-1 with a 1. Christian Fischer Coyotes Jersey Authentic. 90 goals against average and two shutouts in 12 prior meetings with the Panthers. However, Anderson was lifted early in a loss to Vancouver last Thursday. Lehner is 1-1-0 with a 3.01 GAA in two meetings with Florida, beating the Panthers on Nov. 9 with 26 saves. Zibanejad, MacArthur and Turris all scored in the home win for Ottawa, which has won 12 of its last 14 versus Florida. The Sens have also won six of their past eight in Sunrise. Tim Thomas made 29 saves in the loss for Florida. Recently, Thomas did not make it past the second period in Saturdays 5-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, yielding four goals on 13 shots in his 11th consecutive start. Scott Clemmensen halted all eight shots he faced in relief. Scottie Upshall scored the lone goal for the Panthers, who lost despite outshooting the Penguins 40-22. "The mistakes went back to us again," Panthers interim head coach Peter Horachek said. "We have to decide if were going to be a mentally focused team. We have 40 shots; we outchance them, we outshoot them, they capitalize on their opportunities. A good team does that." Florida fell to 1-2-0 on a five-game homestand that concludes on Thursday versus Winnipeg and is 4-6-3 overall as the hosting club this season. Thomas fell to 23-10-2 with a 2.01 GAA and six shutouts in 35 career meetings with the Senators in the recent loss. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '