Zensah, the maker of compression apparel best known for its socks, issued a statement applauding the National Labor Relations Board decision that scholarship players are university employees. Zensah said it hopes to be “the first company to sponsor individual athletes on Northwestern's
football team immediately and many other universities to come.”
The full release is below:
Sports Company First Named as Sponsor to NCAA Athletes
Zensah is the first major apparel brand to support the National Labor Relations Board decision that scholarship players are university employees. On March 26th, 2014, The NLRB recently ruled in favor of Northwestern Football players and their ability to form a labor union. Zensah applauds the NLRB for making a bold decision that does the right thing.
Zensah supports an athlete's right to be equitably compensated for the contributions they make to the organization they represent on the playing field. The reality is many students, as part of a team, generate millions of dollars in revenue for their university.
Many universities claim to offer an education to these athletes in return for their services, but in actuality, a much greater emphasis is often given to the “athlete” part of “student-athlete” and more focus is given to them remaining eligible than receiving a quality education. One can look at a recent article by Bloomberg Businessweek magazine on a prestigious university that uses players to earn revenue, but provides them with a subpar education in return.
In a free market, athletes should have the right to seek sponsorships from companies as they see fit. That is the American way. Unfortunately, for too many years, the NCAA has prevented athletes from getting their fair share. Instead, those that risk nothing get everything.
“We look forward to being the first company to sponsor individual athletes on Northwestern's football team immediately and many other universities to come,” said Ryan Oliver, Zensah spokesperson. “Athletes from any university can contact us by email at sponsorship(at)zensah(dot)com,” Mr. Oliver continued. “We hope this is a first step in getting athletes who play for a university to receive compensation commensurate with their contributions. Zensah calls upon all companies to do the right thing and join us to ensure that those risking the most will be fairly rewarded.”
While many in the NCAA would like to claim that there is a free ride, there is no free ride. The company hopes that the companies, which offer millions to coaches, will do the same for athletes who are part of the same team as those coaches.
About Zensah: Zensah is a Miami-based company, specializing in sports compression apparel. Their seamless compression socks, compression sleeves, and full product line are praised by athletes and fitness enthusiasts, including runners, cyclists, triathletes, yoga enthusiasts, basketball players, golfers, and soccer players. Zensah offers compression products for performance and recovery. According to Leisure Trends, a NDP Group Company, Specialty Running RetailTRAK, Zensah is the number three selling sports bra in the USA for Running Specialty.
