It’s no secret that since college athletes have been able to make money from their name, image, and likeness, the college athletic landscape has become quite chaotic. The landmark change came in 2021, and since then, we’ve seen players getting paid a ludicrous amount of money to stay at schools or transfer to different schools.
One of the universities that has felt this the most is Tennessee, as they saw their star quarterback, Nico Iamaleava, hit the portal and leave the Vols after an alleged contract dispute. In a sit-down with the University’s chancellor, Tennessee’s athletic director, Danny White is proposed a solution to the issue at hand.
Tennessee Athletic Director Says Collective Bargaining is the Only Solution to NIL Concerns
Tennessee’s chancellor, Donde Plowman, and athletic director, Danny White, had a sit-down conversation where they discussed the current landscape of college athletics.
White explained his concerns over NIL, saying, “Our job is to lead the University of Tennessee, but we also have a national issue in college sports that’s a real problem.” He later proposed a solution, adding, “Collective bargaining is the only solution.”
.@AD_DannyWhite wears many hats in the world of college sports. He works daily to make the best decisions for our student-athletes, our fans, and our campus. Thanks, Danny, for all you do! pic.twitter.com/RQjJttMBXI
— Donde Plowman (@DondePlowman) May 22, 2025
So, what exactly does collective bargaining mean? Professional sports leagues have a players’ association, and between that and the league itself, there is a collective bargaining agreement or a CBA made each year.
Things agreed upon in a CBA include pay, working conditions, benefits, player rights, and revenue sharing between the players in the league itself. However, the CBA only works because the athletes in professional leagues are employees, and in the NCAA, the athletes are students.
White is arguing for making college athletes considered employees so that the NCAA or a specific conference can make a CBA with those athletes. That way, athletes of a certain sport would get paid based on predetermined rules that were agreed upon by the athletes and the league.
This would also eliminate the transfer portal chaos, as contracts would likely be much firmer, and players would have to stay at a school for a certain period.
This sounds like a great idea on paper, but again, NCAA athletes should be students first. Making these students “employees” has a whole bunch of ethical issues, which is why a CBA isn’t as easy as it sounds.
KEEP READING: Urban Meyer Says Nico Iamaleava May Regret Transfer to UCLA
In due time, I believe that college athletics will figure out some sort of solution to the current madness, and I think that White’s idea will probably be implemented in some shape or form, but it’s going to take time to figure out how to do it the right way.
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