Enough with all the charades.
The thing that pisses me off the most (ok, ONE of them) is to see billionaires and millionaires fighting over money causing a sport to go on hiatus.
Forget all the talk over an 18-game season, rookie wage scales, and lighter offseason work. This fight is over one thing and one thing only: MONEY.
After all, the owners were the ones who placed a clause in the last Collective Bargaining Agreement which gave them the right to opt out if the aforementioned CBA if needed. Do not forget that in the CBA, the players receive 60% of the revenues from merchandise, and other revenue streams. That didn’t set too well with the owners, particularly the low-revenue franchises (Cincinnati, Buffalo, and Jacksonville). The owners figured that the players have been getting too much cheddar, and it’s time to renegotiate.
And pay attention to the news leaks in the upcoming weeks.
NFL Commish Roger Goodell already said he would slash his salary to $1 if there is a lockout. That is nothing more than a P.R. ploy to get the fans on his side (it almost worked with me). NFLPA head DeMaurice Smith countered by saying he’d slash his to 68 cents if an agreement is made before the Super Bowl, which may not come across well to fans.
It looks like this thing may not get done sooner rather than later. Let’s hope both sides are not stupid enough to kill the golden goose.
Stay tuned…
Categories: NFL, sports story
The owners hold all the cards. They somehow got a deal with the networks where they’ll still get their TV money even if there’s no games. That’s an amazing amount of leverage.
Also, considering the fact that the average player has a lifespan of 3-4 years and the average owner can last 20-30 years, whom do you think can afford to holdout?
The only chance for the players to win is through the courts. They have to find a judge who will force the owners to open the books. Otherwise, this one’s over before it starts.