No matter what the ballots say , Friday will be historic for college sports . By noon , members of Northwestern University 's football team will have cast the ballots that will decide whether they will form a workers union and start demanding more rights . It 's a massive step toward changing the longstanding model of the NCAA , and the pressure has been mounting . There is some doubt that a majority will vote for it -- even though there initially seemed to be a lot of support on the team . How they vote wo n't be immediately known , since on Thursday the National Labor Relations Board granted Northwestern 's request to review a regional NLRB director 's decision that the players are employees of the university . It could be months before that review takes place and the votes wo n't be made public until that happens . Since the initial signatures were acquired and the petition was filed in January , the two main forces behind the union push -- National College Players Association President Ramogi Huma and former Northwestern quarterback Kain Colter -- went on a whirlwind tour meeting with lawmakers and lobbyists and speaking publicly about the push . They became especially vocal in February when Peter Sun Ohr , NLRB regional director in Chicago , ruled in their favor . Ohr agreed with their argument that the athletes are employees of the university who make money for their employer and are compensated with an education . The Chicago director agreed with them on almost every point they made at the hearing -- the most important being a recognition that athletes spend 40 to 50 hours a week focused on football -- well more than the maximum 20 that is allowed by the NCAA . But with that win came an influx of dissent from all directions . Former and current players , high-profile coaches , lawyers , lawmakers , college presidents , even some vocal NCAA reform advocates publicly said they did n't think a union was a good idea . Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald , who initially tweeted in support of his former starting quarterback initiative , met with the current teammates and told them he did n't think a union was in their best interest . Two of the team 's top leaders -- current quarterback Trevor Siemian and running back Venric Mark -- backed their coach and publicly said they would not be voting in favor of unionizing . `` I just hope the NCAA does understand some things do need to change , '' Mark told reporters after a spring practice on April 19 , `` but we do not need a third party to come in between us and the coaches . '' A majority of the players who decide to cast a vote must vote in favor of the union for it to be successful . Meanwhile , today , the NCAA appears to be trying to answer some of the concerns of the reform advocates by proposing changes that would give the five power conferences -- Southeastern Conference , Atlantic Coast Conference , Big Ten , Big 12 and Pacific-12 -- more options in how they treat athletes . Among many proposed changes , the NCAA may consider allowing schools to increase scholarships to cover the cost of living , and not just the cost of tuition , for athletes . This all comes weeks after a class-action lawsuit filed by current players who want the NCAA compensation cap to be erased , and more than a month before trial is set to begin in the case of former UCLA basketball player Ed O'Bannon lawsuit 's against the NCAA . O'Bannon is suing on behalf of current football and men 's basketball players , and is seeking to get them a share of the millions that the NCAA makes off of their likenesses .
Northwestern University football players vote Friday on whether to unionize . There is some doubt a majority will vote for it , though support was strong initially . The union has been trying to organize the team since last year and had hoped to have an agreement by this weekend. Supporters say athletes , who generate huge money for schools , deserve protections .