# Missouri football players threaten to strike? An exercise in pure stupidity **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [November 8, 2015, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missouri-football-players-threaten-to-strike-an-exercise-in-pure-stupidity/737039 "2015-11-08T18:42:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missouri-football-players-threaten-to-strike-an-exercise-in-pure-stupidity/737039/121 "2015-11-11T18:55:20Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > This megalomaniac grad student was just obsessed with getting President Tom Wolfe to admit his ‘white privileges.’ . I’m okay with that. That’s part of the job of University President. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missouri-football-players-threaten-to-strike-an-exercise-in-pure-stupidity/737039/122 "2015-11-11T18:55:22Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > This megalomaniac grad student was just obsessed with getting President Tom Wolfe to admit his ‘white privileges.’ Regardless of the fact that the grad student, Jonathan Butler, has his own privileges that he’ll never check. How do you know? Butler had also referred to male privilege; I assume he counts himself a beneficiary of that. ---
**Author:** ![NetTrekker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nettrekker/32/2909_2.png) [@NetTrekker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NetTrekker)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missouri-football-players-threaten-to-strike-an-exercise-in-pure-stupidity/737039/123 "2015-11-11T19:14:20Z")
> [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > And we’re talking about a crappy Missouri team. Just imagine if players from top ranked teams conspired and said, “we’re not playing until you pay college athletes.” Heads would explode. I doubt the players themselves realized until now (if they do yet) how much power they really have. I think there is some irony here. (A lot of) the players from top ranked teams are very close to the NFL draft jackpot so would be less likely to engage in the college power politics lest their stock go down. I think more of the onus of boycott tactics would fall on the lesser teams to send the shots across the bow to push for better player benefits (and/or fix social injustices) since they have less to lose. Then again, they don’t have as much entertainment value power as the star athletes…so at what level will this play out? ---
**Author:** ![NetTrekker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nettrekker/32/2909_2.png) [@NetTrekker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NetTrekker)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missouri-football-players-threaten-to-strike-an-exercise-in-pure-stupidity/737039/124 "2015-11-11T19:37:55Z")
> [@Red\_Wiggler](#): > > A good point that has been made by other observers as well. But schools have kinda gone down this road anyway, even if they don’t want to admit it to a judge. The Northwestern union organizing effort didn’t occur in a vacuum. > > If the players can achieve a reasonable amount of unity – and that’s a big “if;” Mizzou players were reportedly not all in on their action earlier this week – then school administrators are pretty much at their mercy. One pundit opined that schools will be begging players to organize officially so they can get rules worked out instead of having to deal with disruptive strikes. The players are so young and inexperienced in negotiating labor contracts…going up against the might and means of major universities and corporate sponsors/advertisers. And without the legal standing to be represented by actual unions, how will they organize this movement, decide on compensation packages, etc.? ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Wiggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/red_wiggler/32/13190_2.png) [@Red\_Wiggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Wiggler)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missouri-football-players-threaten-to-strike-an-exercise-in-pure-stupidity/737039/125 "2015-11-11T20:46:07Z")
> [@NetTrekker](#): > > The players are so young and inexperienced in negotiating labor contracts…going up against the might and means of major universities and corporate sponsors/advertisers. And without the legal standing to be represented by actual unions, how will they organize this movement, decide on compensation packages, etc.? Well, they don’t need legal standing to organize themselves in some fashion but recognized unions probably won’t be the method anyway because of state laws. But they don’t have to have official organization, just an agreement from enough members that a gameday action will have a noticeable effect. To that end, there are a few people around who can lend a hand – Ramogi Huma and Jeffrey Kessler, among others, would probably enjoy rousing the rabble on multiple campuses. Jay Bilas has a highly visible bully pulpit as well and could become the high priest of rebellion should he wish. ---
**Author:** ![Hoopy\_Frood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hoopy_frood/32/8452_2.png) [@Hoopy\_Frood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoopy_Frood)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missouri-football-players-threaten-to-strike-an-exercise-in-pure-stupidity/737039/126 "2015-11-12T03:31:12Z")
I found it kind of amusing that the student protesters (backed by at least two noteworthy staff) were preventing the press from interviewing the people in the “tent city” that grew up around the hunger striker. The best part was one of the staff was a communications professor who had an honorary appointment to the journalism program. Because the first amendment apparently only applies to them, not anyone else. I can’t quite understand how someone who clearly doesn’t understand what freedom of the press is can end up being appointed to a journalism program. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missouri-football-players-threaten-to-strike-an-exercise-in-pure-stupidity/737039/127 "2015-11-12T03:36:19Z")
> [@Hoopy\_Frood](#): > > I found it kind of amusing that the student protesters (backed by at least two noteworthy staff) were preventing the press from interviewing the people in the “tent city” that grew up around the hunger striker. > > The best part was one of the staff was a communications professor who had an honorary appointment to the journalism program. Because the first amendment apparently only applies to them, not anyone else. > > I can’t quite understand how someone who clearly doesn’t understand what freedom of the press is can end up being appointed to a journalism program. [There’s a thread.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=774915) ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missouri-football-players-threaten-to-strike-an-exercise-in-pure-stupidity/737039/128 "2015-11-12T06:17:06Z")
Just found out that the supposed swastika in feces, never happened. At least there is no photo and no police report of it. It was just a rumor. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missouri-football-players-threaten-to-strike-an-exercise-in-pure-stupidity/737039/129 "2015-11-12T06:26:24Z")
> [@Algher](#): > > [I have been an Assistant Dean, and am married member of faculty] > > Wolfe failed at his job. The job of the University President is to maintain positive PR, measured by donations & endowments, recruiting of top students, recruiting of top faculty, and a rise in the rankings. > > It is a political job. There are a few faculty (around 5% in my experience), who can move from a research position to a Department Chair, to a School Dean, and then potentially a Provost / Chancellor / President role. It is not easy, and it requires a different mindset. This is not the “all publicity is good” world. This is the world where you must learn to walk with the students, mollify the activists with sufficient platitudes, and keep your faculty under as much control as possible. > > The University President is NOT the equivalent of the CEO. You can’t fire a student. You typically can’t fire faculty either, if they are tenured. The days of putting someone on double-secret probation, or bringing in the SWAT teams are gone. Get too heavy handed, and your small PR problem just because a big one. Wolfe obviously did not know how to deal with this. > > He could have started with a meeting with the players. Have dinner (hah!) with the grad student. Form a bullshit committee of faculty and students to discuss how to address the racism that exists on campus. Hold a few press conferences. Express your deep dismay at the shit swastika, the reports of “nigger,”, etc. > > That is how you deal with it. You don’t hide in your limo, and refuse to answer. The Board of Trustees did the right thing. You sound like someone qualified to discuss one of the other demands. That the percentage of black staff at MU be increased to 10% by 2020. From what I see this is a big HR issue. First where are they going to find the new staff? Second, what jobs will they be put in since I assume all jobs are currently filled. Third, where will they find these qualified staff? If they are talking faculty positions these are hard to come by and people have to be in a long pipeline to get them. I’d like to add that in around 7-8 years of taking college courses off and on only ONE was taught by an African American. That course - golf. They also are demanding an increase in black students at MU but then you have the issue of scholarships coming in. Also about 40 miles south of MU is [Lincoln University](http://www.lincolnu.edu/). A historically black college (although currently only about 56% black). ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missouri-football-players-threaten-to-strike-an-exercise-in-pure-stupidity/737039/130 "2015-11-12T06:57:20Z")
> [@Red\_Wiggler](#): > > When people can be bothered to address the issue, comments generally fall along the lines of “revoke their scholarships and kick them out of school!” Similar to what we heard in other instances forty and fifty years ago. Lots of people don’t like authority being challenged, even if authority is fucking people over. Possibly. But fortunately, that’s not at issue here. “Authority” here offers scholarships to students and students seek them out. If "authority is fucking over these students, why is it they are so eager to get fucked over. Oh, must be the gun to the back of their heads. I love college sports, but the cart is pulling the horse. The group that should get together are all the universities, and agree to not knuckle under to a friggin sports team. Don’t want to play? Don’t play. Sure, you might lose your scholarship at the end of the semester, but that’s up to you. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missouri-football-players-threaten-to-strike-an-exercise-in-pure-stupidity/737039/131 "2015-11-12T07:05:50Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > Just found out that the supposed swastika in feces, never happened. At least there is no photo and no police report of it. It was just a rumor. Love it! Today for the whiners to be aggrieved into action they don’t even need events to be real. Just fake some action that makes one feel offended, demand ACTION from the powers that be to soothe their hurt feelings, and then try to claim the moral high ground by turning it into a student protest. And the best part, it can work because the powers that be are really a bunch of pussies that that need crave adoration from their fellow leftists. ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missouri-football-players-threaten-to-strike-an-exercise-in-pure-stupidity/737039/132 "2015-11-12T07:47:16Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > Just found out that the supposed swastika in feces, never happened. At least there is no photo and no police report of it. It was just a rumor. Whoever told you that was a fool or they were trying to fool you. There is a police report and it did happen. [http://www.slate.com/blogs/the\_slatest/2015/11/11/the\_federalist\_and\_sean\_davis\_say\_the\_feces\_swastika\_at\_mizzou\_was\_a\_hoax.html](http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2015/11/11/the_federalist_and_sean_davis_say_the_feces_swastika_at_mizzou_was_a_hoax.html) > [@](#): > > **maggellan01** > Love it! > > Today for the whiners to be aggrieved into action they don’t even need events to be real. Agreed. The Daily Caller and the rest of the moron wing of the right wing media don’t need to be bothered with the facts or the truth. All they need is for someone, anyone to scream “FAKE!!!” and that’s good enough for them. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missouri-football-players-threaten-to-strike-an-exercise-in-pure-stupidity/737039/133 "2015-11-12T12:25:41Z")
> [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > He goes out with dignity and took the high road with his parting words. He could just as easily have been a petty brat. Actually he just resigned from the position. He accepted another job on the MU campus so he will still draw a paycheck and later a retirement. But can you believe, he made around $400,000 and the football coach made $4 million? ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missouri-football-players-threaten-to-strike-an-exercise-in-pure-stupidity/737039/134 "2015-11-12T12:28:13Z")
Thing is their truly are some issues college football players could go after. For example some better type of compensation. Another is if they are injured why cant they get workers comp or disability? ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missouri-football-players-threaten-to-strike-an-exercise-in-pure-stupidity/737039/135 "2015-11-12T12:44:57Z")
> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > Whoever told you that was a fool or they were trying to fool you. There is a police report and it did happen. > > [http://www.slate.com/blogs/the\_slatest/2015/11/11/the\_federalist\_and\_sean\_davis\_say\_the\_feces\_swastika\_at\_mizzou\_was\_a\_hoax.html](http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2015/11/11/the_federalist_and_sean_davis_say_the_feces_swastika_at_mizzou_was_a_hoax.html) Then with the fact every student nowadays has a camera on their phone, why is their no picture of it? Why didnt the police take a picture of it? Your article even states “University police and other school officials and staffers have declined to provide any information on who observed the scrawling, whether police saw it and whether it was photographed.” It goes on to say “Although the initial incident occurred in the early morning hours of October 24, the police report was not prepared and filed until the evening of October 29. An official investigator was assigned to the case on October 26, according to the report.” So the story still smells. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missouri-football-players-threaten-to-strike-an-exercise-in-pure-stupidity/737039/136 "2015-11-12T12:52:14Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > So the story still smells. Feces will do that. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missouri-football-players-threaten-to-strike-an-exercise-in-pure-stupidity/737039/137 "2015-11-12T12:54:38Z")
Now we have another lie coming out. Previously the MU Student Body President made claims about the KKK being on campus and asking for the police and national guard. Turns out he was lying and has since apologized. [Story](http://twitchy.com/2015/11/11/mizzous-student-body-president-apologizes-for-scaring-everybody-with-false-kkk-on-campus-rumor-screenshot/) ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Wiggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/red_wiggler/32/13190_2.png) [@Red\_Wiggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Wiggler)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missouri-football-players-threaten-to-strike-an-exercise-in-pure-stupidity/737039/138 "2015-11-12T13:16:32Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > Possibly. But fortunately, that’s not at issue here. “Authority” here offers scholarships to students and students seek them out. If "authority is fucking over these students, why is it they are so eager to get fucked over. Oh, must be the gun to the back of their heads. > > I love college sports, but the cart is pulling the horse. The group that should get together are all the universities, and agree to not knuckle under to a friggin sports team. Don’t want to play? Don’t play. Sure, you might lose your scholarship at the end of the semester, but that’s up to you. The schools are already, and have been for years, colluding with each other to fix the compensation to athletes at the cost of a scholarship. But that is an artificial construct and as long as they and their fans want – \*need \*-- to win games, then the talent that can give them what they want holds the cards. Thus far, the talent has been pretty complacent and content to let matters wind their way endlessly through the courts. The Missouri football team has shown them an alternative path. Recruiting more compliant and obedient players while letting the talent escape elsewhere will result mostly in getting the coaches, athletic director and president fired. Harsher authority is a stupid and fruitless attempt at a solution. ---
**Author:** ![NetTrekker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nettrekker/32/2909_2.png) [@NetTrekker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NetTrekker)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missouri-football-players-threaten-to-strike-an-exercise-in-pure-stupidity/737039/139 "2015-11-12T13:47:29Z")
> [@Red\_Wiggler](#): > > Well, they don’t need legal standing to organize themselves in some fashion but recognized unions probably won’t be the method anyway because of state laws. But they don’t have to have official organization, just an agreement from enough members that a gameday action will have a noticeable effect. To that end, there are a few people around who can lend a hand – Ramogi Huma and Jeffrey Kessler, among others, would probably enjoy rousing the rabble on multiple campuses. Jay Bilas has a highly visible bully pulpit as well and could become the high priest of rebellion should he wish. Good points. Here is a good background article on previous efforts to unionize: [http://chronicle.com/article/College-Football-Players-Seek/144271/](http://chronicle.com/article/College-Football-Players-Seek/144271/) ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missouri-football-players-threaten-to-strike-an-exercise-in-pure-stupidity/737039/140 "2015-11-12T14:41:46Z")
> [@Red\_Wiggler](#): > > The schools are already, and have been for years, colluding with each other to fix the compensation to athletes at the cost of a scholarship. But that is an artificial construct and as long as they and their fans want – \*need \*-- to win games, then the talent that can give them what they want holds the cards. Thus far, the talent has been pretty complacent and content to let matters wind their way endlessly through the courts. The Missouri football team has shown them an alternative path. > > Recruiting more compliant and obedient players while letting the talent escape elsewhere will result mostly in getting the coaches, athletic director and president fired. Harsher authority is a stupid and fruitless attempt at a solution. Maybe, maybe not. I’m suggesting that schools realize what their mission is—education. Not all schools choose to be slaves to sports, and none have to. I’d start with the coaches. You want a strong sports team, and you want to pay millions to a coach to head it up, well they need to realize who they work for. And if their allegiance lies elsewhere, it shouldn’t be too hard finding another person or two to accept a few million dollars. “Next!” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missouri-football-players-threaten-to-strike-an-exercise-in-pure-stupidity/737039.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missouri-football-players-threaten-to-strike-an-exercise-in-pure-stupidity/737039.md?page=8)