Good lockout article

[stethant]

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/30/sports/f...l/30nfl.html?hp

 

I think this may summarize my position exactly. Many good quotes are in this article, but the most telling are:

 

“What happens in these disputes is that economic issues are presented as moral issues — good versus evil,” said Fay Vincent, a former commissioner of Major League Baseball who presided over the 1990 lockout. “But it’s hard to look at these circumstances and not see a case of owners’ wanting their cake and eating it, too.”

 

Whether the N.F.L owners are grandstanding or indeed willing to sideline their golden goose remains to be seen. But for N.F.L. fans who are the engine of the league’s growth, their last look at an N.F.L. game for the foreseeable future might come next Sunday.

 

Vincent, the former baseball commissioner, wondered if the risk they appear willing to take is truly worth it.

 

“The N.F.L. is the premier sports business in the country by a large margin,” Vincent said. “There is only one way to go, and that is down. It’s pretty dangerous to tamper with fans’ passion and good will.”

Anybody really think the likes of Jerry Jones deserve more money?

[DMD]

For one there are 31 other owners than Jerry Jones and the $1.2 billion Cowboys stadium was not funded with pocket cash but mostly with public debt. The previous contract was made in different economic times with different realities. To try to boil this down to Jerry Jones sitting on some big mountain of money and just wanting to get more on the backs of the underpaid players is not remotely what is at play. The owners are looking to the health of the game and league as an ongoing product, the players want to drain out all they can every year since they are pretty temporary all things considered.

 

Other notable quotes not merely supporting the players:

 

It is not only the first time in the history of the N.F.L.’s labor strife that owners are willing to lock out their players, but also the first time they have acknowledged that they made a bad (previous) deal.

 

Commissioner Roger Goodell warned five million N.F.L. fans in an e-mail that the economics “have changed dramatically” since the last contract was negotiated in 2006

 

Jeff Pash, an N.F.L. executive vice president and the lead negotiator, said that the league expected the fans to grasp what — up to this point at least — the union has not: “We have healthy revenue, but it’s not endless.”

 

They just need to give and take to a point where the greed is balanced on either side.

 

The current CBA favors the players more. There are solutions out there that should be amenable to both sides if they stop using the media to pitch either side as evil. Everyone there is making ridiculous amounts of money compared to you and I. Neither side wants a lockout and they will not come to any agreement until they have to which starts March 4th. If they do not come to terms by then for some negotiating tactic, then they can do it by the NFL draft in late April and it's all fine and good.

 

The players deserve to be well paid without a question and in my opinion the league and the NFLPA should do more for the retired players and helping them transition out of the league when they no longer are making millions and no one cares about them anymore. The owners own the league and if the business model currently used doesn't address realities now and longterm, then some adjustment is reasonable to make.

 

Most of what has been written in the media has slanted towards the players because it is an easy tale to tell - everyone hates the greedy boss - and it is a good story as long as player's current salaries are not detailed. Both sides need to give some but the last CBA was slanted towards the players - many were shocked the owners agreed to it at the time - and the players do not want to give anything back same as any employee.

 

Greed drives both sides pure and simple - but there is a place both will meet and I will be shocked if it takes longer than April. Everything I glean says it is highly unlikely to go past that date.

[Living the Dream]

5 things that need to change immediately, and this will get taken care of

 

1. Veterans should have more benefits.

2. Rookie wage scale is a must.

3. Contracts need to be guaranteed, like baseball and basketball. Owners need to honor the contract they give.

4. Players holding out a single game for a new contract need to be banned from the league forever. You signed it, honor it as well

5. Players need to realize they work for the owners. The players are the talent, but talent can be replaced.

 

The league is a business, players say it all the time. And in Business, the owner is suppose to make the most money. He doesnt open up his books to his employees and share revenue with them other than salary, commision and bonus.(unless he has share holders, which NFL teams do not) The owners carrry all the risk here. A Michael Vick situation could kill any franchise for a couple of years. First in attendance, since the team likely wont be winning. Second the team takes the black eye in alot of situations when players get in trouble. The owners paid huge sums of money to buy the franchise in most cases, and they should make more money for their investment. Ultimately if it were so easy to own a business, and it be profitable, everyone would have one. It takes deep pockets, good management and a product in demand. Employees deserve a fair salary, but not to make unreasonable demands to the people paying them, or they need to look for a job elsewhere, OUTSIDE OF FOOTBALL. Its a honor to play football, and players make a great living, the top 1% biggest salaries in the world. The problem is the players do not know how to invest their money, usually are clueless about saving, and this is why even with huge salaries, they are broke within 5 years after leaving the game.

Edited January 30, 2011 by Living the Dream