#Weareunited movement needs a restart
For all the medical progress made with the acquisition of the rapid-response antigen tests, the Pac-12’s push to return needed exactly that: A push.
At 3 p.m. on Tuesday, along came the Trojans.
USC’S players published an open letter to California Gov. Gavin Newsom on their social media accounts that declared, in boldface type: “We want to play.”
Their fuel came courtesy of the state restrictions that made practice impractical. (Or so it would seem.)
Without relief from the restrictions, the California teams would not be able to move forward and the entire conference, most likely, would remain stuck in the muck while its peers played on.
USC’S letter generated immediate support from other Pac-12 players, including Cal quarterback Chase Garbers and Arizona State quarterback Jayden Daniels.
On Wednesday, the Arizona players published their own letter to Newsom, whose state is the home to 30 Wildcats and their (voting) families.
Hours later, Newsom relented. After claiming in response to a question from the Bay Area News Group that the state wasn’t preventing the teams from competing — an alternate reality, it would seem — he lifted the restrictions.
The Pac-12’s climb back isn’t complete, but it’s vastly easier from here.
As we contemplate the wild past 48 hours, one voice was noticeably absent from the public realm:
Where have you gone, #Weareunited?
The Pac-12’s playerdriven movement that swallowed so much oxygen in early August apparently ran out of gas in September. The thunderous opening that included a manifesto and opt-out threats has given way to a seemingly silent demise.
Their economic demands were preposterous, a non-starter with the schools and the conference.
Meanwhile, the NCAA answered the eligibility concerns, and the Pac-12 has solved the health and safety component, thanks to the antigen tests that should be more effective than the NFL’S testing protocol.
So where do the players at the heart of the movement stand? Do they want to play? Are they satisfied with the progress?
Obviously, the early August decision by Pac-12 presidents to postpone the season undercut the #Weareunited leverage.
But the movement didn’t help itself when many players — just one week after claiming they would opt out of the season if their demands were not met — pivoted and joined #Wewanttoplay group led by Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
Now, more than a month later, with entirely new dynamics, #Weareunited needs a restart.
In one regard, nothing has changed: The players need and deserve an organized platform. There is more work to be done.
We’re not suggesting they form a union, even though their organizer behind-the-scenes, Ramogi Huma, the president of the National College Players Association, is aligned with the Steelworkers.
Nor are we suggesting the players should be paid salaries, declared employees or entitled to half the revenue — the most outlandish claim in the manifesto and one that did the movement a disservice.
Frankly, the movement’s problem was that it began as a push for safety standards and awareness of racial injustice and lost its way with the economic demands and opt-out threats.
The players got bad advice, had terrible messaging and were left dangling, unable even to muster a united front this week to support their #Letusplay peers at USC and Arizona.
But there is remaining territory available — territory situated between their current position and the alternate-universe economic demands in the manifesto.
They need to climb out of the abyss and keep churning forward.
They need to stay focused on health and safety (even in the post-pandemic world).
They need to stay focused on social justice.
They need to stay focused on securing benefits that will provide relief from day-to-day burdens.
And they need to request a seat at the table (or on the Zoom calls) as the Pac-12 coaches, athletic directors and medical personnel plot the return-toplay — a multi-week process that will include plans for testing frequency, training camp formats and in-season schedules.
Let that first step back serve as the foundation for future engagement with the conference and a model for players across college football.
Why not create an organizational structure for the next 15 months, with team reps and a council?
Why not ask that a member or two of the council participate in the coming discussions ... and then in future discussions?
The movement needs a restart, but that requires better organization, sharper messaging and more reasonable goals, at least if the hope is to build something sustainable.
Come back from the abyss, #Weareunited, but make sure to plan properly.
When you need victories, better to play New Mexico State at home than Alabama in Tuscaloosa.