On Sports.... to Unionize or not?

There's been a lot written over the last few months over whether or not college athletes should unionize or not. See the following for background:

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/college-athletes-step-toward-forming-170258471--spt.html

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/qb-testifies-bid-form-college-163928455--ncaaf.html

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/college-athletes-unionize-federal-agency-192347319--ncaaf.html

 http://espn.go.com/chicago/college-football/story/_/id/10734087/pat-fitzgerald-urges-northwestern-wildcats-players-vote-union

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/10738559/mark-emmert-ncaa-president-says-unionization-attempt-grossly-inappropriate

http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/10678393/nlrb-director-decision-follows-road-map-laid-northwestern-quarterback-kain-colter-legal-team

It's fascinating to me to read these articles, listen to podcasts that deal with the topic, and hear the talking heads on the radio & television discuss this matter. There are pros and cons to both sides of the issue, and to me, there is no clear cut answer.

Wanting to protect players' health and provide long term medical treatment is a noble goal. Not wanting to disrupt the lucrative business model that is college athletics is understandable, but at what expense? Would unionizing solve health and medical issues confronting college athletes? Would unionizing be a death knell for college athletics? Or would unionizing simply force a change that would be rapidly accepted and then back to business (i.e., playing the games) with little impact?

Questions abound, but until the appeals process is over and, if warranted, votes are counted, we won't know the direction college sports are headed. We have to be patient and wait & see.