Sports Labor Unions

Labor unions were typically created because unfair conditions existed in the workplace.  According to Investopedia, in sports, “non-unionized players were treated as pieces of property that had no rights to pensions, healthcare benefits or even lunch money for road games.”  This all changed when  “a few brave players to stood up to the owners and demanded a fair share of the revenues that their top-talent provided” (Investopedia, 2011).

“Just prior to the formation of the National Hockey League Players Association in 1967,” the average salary of a hockey player in the NHL was approximately $10,000 to $15,000.  This did not include healthcare of a pension plan. “It was also common for pre-union NHLers to work summer jobs to support their families.”  If a player missed a game because of an injury, he was not paid.  He also incurred large medical bills because he did not have healthcare(Investopedia, 2011).

In the early 1950’s Red Wing Player Ted Lindsay began to rally players together to form a union.  In order to stop the union from forming the Red Wings traded Lindsay to Chicago where he was less influential. Finally, in 1967 the players were successful in uniting enough players to form the NHLPA.  They were influential enough to convince the owners to recognize their demands and not punish players for being a part of the union(Investopedia, 2011).

It took pioneers such as Ted Lindsay who “fought powerful millionaires and risked their professional careers to ensure that future players in these leagues would be well compensated and cared for beyond their playing careers.” With players negotiating hundred million dollar contracts, the “founding fathers of these unions have gotten more than they ever hoped for”(Investopedia, 2011). 

(Dobel, 2011)

Dobel. (2011, July 23). Point of the game. Retrieved from http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=unions in sport&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

(Investopedia, 2011)

Investopedia. (2011, July 05). The rise of labor unions in pro sports. Retrieved from http://www.investopedia.com/financial-edge/0711/The-Rise-Of-Labor-Unions-In-Pro-Sports.aspx