So is anyone sick of the NFL labor issues? There was a time where it seemed to be heading to the back burner but watch out...it's back! A judge lifts the lockout and orders the teams to open their doors to players (after some teams kept the doors locked & the owners asked for "clarification"). Then 3 judges (that was the number in that appellate court ruling) decide that its ok to put the lockout back in effect.
Although Mr. Goodell was hired by the owners (I hesitate to use the term lackey), I must agree with him when he said that the litigation route was a bad idea (I forget his actual comment). But he's correct. Litigation, especially civil litigation, is a slow and cumbersome process. The only one's who benefit from civil litigation are...the lawyers! I firmly believe that the players had no intention of settling the issue without going to court. They're at a point where they can wait it out and hope that they get the best deal for them. The problem is with litigation is that it's not an exact science. As good as a case the NFLPA think they have, that doesn't guarantee them a favorable verdict/settlement. Go ask the USFL owners when they "won" their anti-trust suit against the NFL and received treble damages of $1. That's right a buck. To be fair treble damages brings the award to $3 which in 1986 could actually buy a few things like a gallon of milk with enough change for a few pieces of Bazooka Joe bubble gum or a newspaper.
Not that I'm pro-owner. These guys are billionaires who want the players to take less money so they can make more. Their main issue is that they're not making enough money. Here's a link to an interesting take on an being a current NFL owner from ESPN writer Bill Simmons, http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/110304. It's a interesting article worth checking out.
Take Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson for example. His name gets lumped in as the hard line owner (true or not who knows) who is trying the keep the owners unified to stick it to the players. As usual my facts may not be 100% accurate as I pick up a lot of information sitting on bar stools listening to other people's conversations along with snippets from the media. From what I gather, Mr Richardson owns the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. It's seating capacity is approximately 74,000. Of those 74,000 seats all but 10,000 of them have been sold, via PSLs which Richardson allegedly invented (Simmon's column makes a mention of the PSLs & how it's just free money to an owner). Mr. Richardson can wait out a prolonged work stoppage because he's already got the fans money. Other owners may not be so lucky. Jerry Jones just sank a BILLION of his own money in his new stadium so needs to have it filled, which he's vowed to do regardless of any work stoppage.
I also can't full ally myself with the players either. I understand their situation, limited playing career so they have to maximize their earnings, the whole thing with post career brain damage, don't trust the owners (which they can't), they are cast aside like a used paper towel when they usefulness has been reached & they're treated as commodities by the owners. Frankly the last 2 items I listed go for just about everyone with a job. These days especially, workers ARE commodities for business owners & workers in most fields of employment ARE tossed to the scrap heap when their no longer deemed useful. Think Michael Douglass in the film Falling Down. So players aren't that much different in their job as the rest of us. Plus it's difficult for me to connect with a guy, let's say...Albert Haynesworth, who collects a $21 million dollar check then complains about the new defensive system installed by the new head coach and decides to pout around training camp overweight.
Now I enjoy the NFL. I enjoy watching NFL games, I recently found I enjoy fantasy football & I think the Monday following Super Bowl Sunday should be a national holiday. I heard this statement (which I'm going to have to paraphrase) while listening to the radio during a drive, I think it was on the Chris "mad Dog" Russo show. While talking about the NFL labor issues both the owners & the NFLPA were cowtowing to the fans. I believe it was either "Mad Dog" or his guest, maybe Peter King but I can't remember, stated that the owners & players don't care that much about the fans as a whole. The degree to which the owners "care" about the fans is that care that they purchase the PSLs. The players "care" that the fans don't see them as "money grabbing carpetbaggers (I think that last quote might be spot on)." I'm well aware that teams & players alike do a lot for charitable causes and I don't discount that. That's great and keep up the good work.
Both sides seem hell bent on killing or crippling the "golden goose." The NFL is a $9 BILLION industry that is not a worldwide phenomenon. In my opinion, there's a ceiling that the industry is going to hit. The sport isn't very popular outside North America so how far can they reach? The NFL schedules a regular season game in London that the participating teams hate. Are the British clamoring for more American football? I think not. There was a football league in Europe that floundered for awhile prior to dying off. Is Frankfurt looking for another franchise?
As usual it's something that's been on my mind and I will watch football when it eventually returns. The owners feel that if the players start losing paychecks then the NFLPA will fold faster than Superman on laundry day. The NFLPA is looking for the courts to force a settlement. We'll see what happens.
Although Mr. Goodell was hired by the owners (I hesitate to use the term lackey), I must agree with him when he said that the litigation route was a bad idea (I forget his actual comment). But he's correct. Litigation, especially civil litigation, is a slow and cumbersome process. The only one's who benefit from civil litigation are...the lawyers! I firmly believe that the players had no intention of settling the issue without going to court. They're at a point where they can wait it out and hope that they get the best deal for them. The problem is with litigation is that it's not an exact science. As good as a case the NFLPA think they have, that doesn't guarantee them a favorable verdict/settlement. Go ask the USFL owners when they "won" their anti-trust suit against the NFL and received treble damages of $1. That's right a buck. To be fair treble damages brings the award to $3 which in 1986 could actually buy a few things like a gallon of milk with enough change for a few pieces of Bazooka Joe bubble gum or a newspaper.
Not that I'm pro-owner. These guys are billionaires who want the players to take less money so they can make more. Their main issue is that they're not making enough money. Here's a link to an interesting take on an being a current NFL owner from ESPN writer Bill Simmons, http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/110304. It's a interesting article worth checking out.
Take Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson for example. His name gets lumped in as the hard line owner (true or not who knows) who is trying the keep the owners unified to stick it to the players. As usual my facts may not be 100% accurate as I pick up a lot of information sitting on bar stools listening to other people's conversations along with snippets from the media. From what I gather, Mr Richardson owns the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. It's seating capacity is approximately 74,000. Of those 74,000 seats all but 10,000 of them have been sold, via PSLs which Richardson allegedly invented (Simmon's column makes a mention of the PSLs & how it's just free money to an owner). Mr. Richardson can wait out a prolonged work stoppage because he's already got the fans money. Other owners may not be so lucky. Jerry Jones just sank a BILLION of his own money in his new stadium so needs to have it filled, which he's vowed to do regardless of any work stoppage.
I also can't full ally myself with the players either. I understand their situation, limited playing career so they have to maximize their earnings, the whole thing with post career brain damage, don't trust the owners (which they can't), they are cast aside like a used paper towel when they usefulness has been reached & they're treated as commodities by the owners. Frankly the last 2 items I listed go for just about everyone with a job. These days especially, workers ARE commodities for business owners & workers in most fields of employment ARE tossed to the scrap heap when their no longer deemed useful. Think Michael Douglass in the film Falling Down. So players aren't that much different in their job as the rest of us. Plus it's difficult for me to connect with a guy, let's say...Albert Haynesworth, who collects a $21 million dollar check then complains about the new defensive system installed by the new head coach and decides to pout around training camp overweight.
Now I enjoy the NFL. I enjoy watching NFL games, I recently found I enjoy fantasy football & I think the Monday following Super Bowl Sunday should be a national holiday. I heard this statement (which I'm going to have to paraphrase) while listening to the radio during a drive, I think it was on the Chris "mad Dog" Russo show. While talking about the NFL labor issues both the owners & the NFLPA were cowtowing to the fans. I believe it was either "Mad Dog" or his guest, maybe Peter King but I can't remember, stated that the owners & players don't care that much about the fans as a whole. The degree to which the owners "care" about the fans is that care that they purchase the PSLs. The players "care" that the fans don't see them as "money grabbing carpetbaggers (I think that last quote might be spot on)." I'm well aware that teams & players alike do a lot for charitable causes and I don't discount that. That's great and keep up the good work.
Both sides seem hell bent on killing or crippling the "golden goose." The NFL is a $9 BILLION industry that is not a worldwide phenomenon. In my opinion, there's a ceiling that the industry is going to hit. The sport isn't very popular outside North America so how far can they reach? The NFL schedules a regular season game in London that the participating teams hate. Are the British clamoring for more American football? I think not. There was a football league in Europe that floundered for awhile prior to dying off. Is Frankfurt looking for another franchise?
As usual it's something that's been on my mind and I will watch football when it eventually returns. The owners feel that if the players start losing paychecks then the NFLPA will fold faster than Superman on laundry day. The NFLPA is looking for the courts to force a settlement. We'll see what happens.
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