--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Common decency demands that [NCAA…" description: "\"Common decency demands that [NCAA athletes] should be paid, but the only way it will happen is the same way workers got paid throughout American histor..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/789/kareem-abdul-jabbar-1909_american-history_common-decency-demands-that-ncaa-athlete_111773.png" --- # Common decency demands that \[NCAA athletes\] should be… ![“Common decency demands that [NCAA athletes] should be paid, but the only way it will happen is the same way workers got paid throughout American history, through a strong union.” quote by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/789/kareem-abdul-jabbar-1909_american-history_common-decency-demands-that-ncaa-athlete_111773.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/789/kareem-abdul-jabbar-1909_american-history_common-decency-demands-that-ncaa-athlete_111773.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/789/kareem-abdul-jabbar-1909_american-history_common-decency-demands-that-ncaa-athlete_111773.png) > “Common decency demands that \[NCAA athletes\] should be paid, but the only way it will happen is the same way workers got paid throughout American history, through a strong union.” [Kareem Abdul-Jabbar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kareem-abdul-jabbar/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Argues that fair compensation for college athletes requires collective bargaining power, similar to historic labor movements. **In simple terms:** Athletes need unions for pay. Key Takeaway Unionization can secure athlete wages. Themes sports labor rights economics unionization Mood assertive hopeful Type political advocacy When to use this quote - NCAA policy debates - player contracts Key Concepts collective bargaining fairness Practical Applications - organize athlete representation bodies Questions to Reflect On - What obstacles exist for athlete unions? - How could a union change college sports culture? A Different Perspective Union models may clash with amateurism ideals and legal constraints. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-history/) [Athlete](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/athlete/) [Athletes Paid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/athletes-paid-1324595/) [Common](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common/) [Common decency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-decency/) [Decency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decency/) [Decency Demands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decency-demands-1324597/) [Demand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demand/) [Demands Ncaa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demands-ncaa-1324594/) [Happens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happens/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Ncaa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ncaa/) [Ncaa Athletes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ncaa-athletes-1324596/) [Paid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paid/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strong/) [Strong Union](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strong-union-669545/) [Unions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unions/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Workers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/workers/) ## Related quotes > [Yea, I wrote my college thesis on why college athletes should get paid. I think there's a way to do it based on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-j-mccollum/yea-i-wrote-my-college-thesis-on-why-college-athletes-should-get-paid/) [C. J. McCollum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-j-mccollum/) > [War doesn't negate decency. It demands it, even more than in times of peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/war-doesn-t-negate-decency-it-demands-it-even-more-than-in-times-of-2/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [War doesn't negate decency. It demands it, even more than in times of peace." - Baba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/war-doesn-t-negate-decency-it-demands-it-even-more-than-in-times-of/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [Everyone should have the right to join a strong union that will always have your back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/everyone-should-have-the-right-to-join-a-strong-union-that-will/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [“There were only two things that mattered in his life: the union and his family. Believe it or not, as strong as he was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-brandt/there-were-only-two-things-that-mattered-in-his-life-the-union-and/) [Charles Brandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-brandt/) > [ “Live real strong in union with Christ". ~R. Alan Woods \[2013\]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-alan-woods/live-real-strong-in-union-with-christ-r-alan-woods-2013/) [R. Alan Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-alan-woods/) > [“You might not get the apology you deserve. You might not get answers to explain the actions of others. You might not get truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/you-might-not-get-the-apology-you-deserve-you-might-not-get-answers/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [“Against such a background one can easily imagine the shock that must have gripped readers of The Times of London, who turned to their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/against-such-a-background-one-can-easily-imagine-the-shock-that-must/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I believe that poverty is often the result of inappropriate behavior - out-of-wedlock births, dropping out of school, crime and drugs - which should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-klein/i-believe-that-poverty-is-often-the-result-of-inappropriate-behavior/) [Joe Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-klein/) > [“I have had some experiences with love, or think I have, anyway, although the ones I have liked best could easily be described as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-have-had-some-experiences-with-love-or-think-i-have-anyway-although/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“ONE OF the most irrational of all the conventions of modern society is the one to the effect that religious opinions should be respected.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken-2/one-of-the-most-irrational-of-all-the-conventions-of-modern-society/) [H.L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken-2/) > [“Again, we may decry the color-prejudice of the South, yet it remains a heavy fact. Such curious kinks of the human mind exist and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois-2/again-we-may-decry-the-color-prejudice-of-the-south-yet-it-remains-a/) [W.E.B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois-2/) > [“We are passing through an eerie phase of history in which the things that everyone really knows are treated as unheard-of doctrines, a time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-budziszewski-2/we-are-passing-through-an-eerie-phase-of-history-in-which-the-things/) [J Budziszewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-budziszewski-2/) > [This is why I say that the individual's most potent weapon is a stubborn belief in the triumph of common decency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rusesabagina/this-is-why-i-say-that-the-individual-s-most-potent-weapon-is-a/) [Paul Rusesabagina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rusesabagina/) > [Please — a little less love, and a little more common decency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/please-a-little-less-love-and-a-little-more-common-decency/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) ## More by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar > [I saw Islam as the correct way to live, and I chose to try to live that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kareem-abdul-jabbar/i-saw-islam-as-the-correct-way-to-live-and-i-chose-to-try-to-live/) [Kareem Abdul-Jabbar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kareem-abdul-jabbar/) > [Justice should be blind especially color-blind and able to fairly deal with the very real need for honest law enforcement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kareem-abdul-jabbar/justice-should-be-blind-especially-color-blind-and-able-to-fairly/) [Kareem Abdul-Jabbar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kareem-abdul-jabbar/) > [I think Kwame will be an asset to the Lakers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kareem-abdul-jabbar/i-think-kwame-will-be-an-asset-to-the-lakers/) [Kareem Abdul-Jabbar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kareem-abdul-jabbar/) > [I think a lot of people, if they get the opportunity to do some acting, they think, 'I might be a star.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kareem-abdul-jabbar/i-think-a-lot-of-people-if-they-get-the-opportunity-to-do-some-acting/) [Kareem Abdul-Jabbar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kareem-abdul-jabbar/) > [LeBron James can get a shot off under any and all circumstances and he makes them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kareem-abdul-jabbar/lebron-james-can-get-a-shot-off-under-any-and-all-circumstances-and/) [Kareem Abdul-Jabbar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kareem-abdul-jabbar/) > [People still cheat on their wives, that hasn't fallen out of fashion. We all speak of it badly, but it has not fallen out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kareem-abdul-jabbar/people-still-cheat-on-their-wives-that-hasn-t-fallen-out-of-fashion/) [Kareem Abdul-Jabbar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kareem-abdul-jabbar/) > [If not shown appreciation, it gets to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kareem-abdul-jabbar/if-not-shown-appreciation-it-gets-to-you/) [Kareem Abdul-Jabbar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kareem-abdul-jabbar/) > [Yoga is somewhat hard to quantify in terms of benefits because you see them in all the injuries you don't get.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kareem-abdul-jabbar/yoga-is-somewhat-hard-to-quantify-in-terms-of-benefits-because-you/) [Kareem Abdul-Jabbar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kareem-abdul-jabbar/) > [“The person who has some awareness of the past knows how to fashion a rudder and which direction land is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kareem-abdul-jabbar/the-person-who-has-some-awareness-of-the-past-knows-how-to-fashion-a/) [Kareem Abdul-Jabbar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kareem-abdul-jabbar/) > [Your mind is what makes everything else work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kareem-abdul-jabbar/your-mind-is-what-makes-everything-else-work/) [Kareem Abdul-Jabbar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kareem-abdul-jabbar/) > [I listen to jazz mainly. Mainstream jazz.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kareem-abdul-jabbar/i-listen-to-jazz-mainly-mainstream-jazz/) [Kareem Abdul-Jabbar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kareem-abdul-jabbar/) > [When a rap song glorifies violence, death and sadness and loss is inflicted because of the violence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kareem-abdul-jabbar/when-a-rap-song-glorifies-violence-death-and-sadness-and-loss-is/) [Kareem Abdul-Jabbar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kareem-abdul-jabbar/) > [As brilliant an individual that Michael Jordan was, he was not successful until he got with a good team unit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kareem-abdul-jabbar/as-brilliant-an-individual-that-michael-jordan-was-he-was-not/) [Kareem Abdul-Jabbar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kareem-abdul-jabbar/) > [If I hadn't become a professional basketball player, I would have become a history teacher. There's so much to learn from history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kareem-abdul-jabbar/if-i-hadn-t-become-a-professional-basketball-player-i-would-have/) [Kareem Abdul-Jabbar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kareem-abdul-jabbar/) > [I didn't really seek attention. I just wanted to play the game well and go home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kareem-abdul-jabbar/i-didn-t-really-seek-attention-i-just-wanted-to-play-the-game-well/) [Kareem Abdul-Jabbar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kareem-abdul-jabbar/) [Explore all 199 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kareem-abdul-jabbar/) ## More American history quotes > [Adam Clayton Powell's entire political career has to be looked at in the entire context of the American history and the history of, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/adam-clayton-powell-s-entire-political-career-has-to-be-looked-at-in/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-prescott/don-t-fire-until-you-see-the-whites-of-their-eyes/) [William H. 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This debut establishes him as one of our finest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-rash/john-lane-has-long-been-recognized-as-one-of-the-south-s-finest-poets/) [Ron Rash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-rash/) > [No man-made structure in all of American history has been hated so much, by so many, for so long, with such good reason, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/no-man-made-structure-in-all-of-american-history-has-been-hated-so/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [The problem that we have is that most Americans don't even study American history, let alone Pinochet, Mussolini, Hitler, Stalin and all these guys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/the-problem-that-we-have-is-that-most-americans-don-t-even-study/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [We must not falsely teach American history in our schools. 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