Ya Know What?(N.F.L.)

[mavriktu]

I know this should be in the sports area,BUT,a lot of folks dont read that area so here it is,my little rant:

With the lockout still ongoing,I got to thinking.I REALLY dont know all the particulars of what is going on ,other than a strike being called something else than a strike.Owners are refusing to talk to players ,and players arent going to play etc.

So it seems the owners are using the court system to get out of getting off their wallets,and attempting to break a union.Make no mistake here,I feel most athletes are EXTREMELY overpaid,when one makes more in 1 season than their grandkids will be able to spend in a lifetime.However,this is getting old.

What I think should happen,is since I think 27 of the 28 teams receive alllllll kinds of benefits,tax breaks,stadium builds/remodels etc..Lets take the fight TO THEM!!

Example: Gov. Jindal of La. instructs the state attorney general to file suit against Tom Benson,The New Orleans Saints et al.For ,I dont know say 1 Billion dollars.You see the saints signed a contract that if they stay in New Orleans they would get tax incentives,money for the dome to be remodeled(which was just completed this week),and their training facility upgraded.The SAME facility that Benson is locking the players out of,Isnt this a breech of contract???????Meanwhile The city/state is losing loads in tourism bucks,and bookings etc.

I am sure most other states have cowtowed and been beat up on by teams "looking" to move elsewhere.Personally,I am fed up with ALL of it,and at this point will get my copy of "The Replacements" and put it in every Sunday.Than the NFL can watch its popularity go the same way NASCAR did.
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[jcioccke]

I agree with you 100% my friend. I LOVE Football but I am at a point where I can let it go. This came to me as my wife was telling me what's left in our account after paying bills this morning.

[needguidance]

There is no way that either side can afford to not play. For me, it is summer and I could care less about the details nor am I worried about it. I still say they can resolve most of the dispute by eliminating preseason..no reason for it.

Come September, the games will be on.

[Southflaguy]

I could care less about the NFL right now, the Heat are a lot more fun to watch and follow then the Dolphins...We still have college football, maybe this is a perfect time for college football to fix their system...

[GangGreen712]

It's gonna suck not to have an NFL season. I can't even figure out what they're fighting over. I know the salary cap is an issue. The players want the NFL to be like MLB and obviously they have no idea what that'll do to the league in this economic climate. With what they're getting paid already, it's costing fans $70+ for nosebleed seats. Plus, TV contracts and out-of-area TV packages like NFL Sunday Ticket, was for years about a $150 payment, has gone up to $320 and is rising! Plus, I don't like the idea of owners being able to stack their teams. I can just see someone like Jerry Jones or Al Davis going to the Pro Bowl and saying, "I'll give you all one year, one BILLION dollar contracts to play for me!"

It's a mess, and it looks like I'm going to have to find a new hobby on Sunday afternoons this fall.

On the other hand, here's the player's side of it (from an NFLPA-sponsored website)

This lockout is about the owners taking more than just the game away from fans.


Taking away football is not only devastating to the loyal and supportive fans of the NFL; it’s also devastating to their local economies.

If there is a lockout, an estimated $160 million would be lost in each NFL city.

It is estimated that over 115,000 jobs would be effected.

This lockout is about inequitable leverage.

If there is not a football season in 2011, the owners’ costs will drastically decrease.

The owners have negotiated TV deals that guarantee them revenues even if games are not played in the 2011 season.

The guaranteed television revenues that approach $4.5 billion, coupled with the elimination of $4.4 billion in player salaries and benefits during a lockout, could make a 2011 season without games profitable for the owners.

They are willing to sacrifice the sport of football in this country in order to have less cost, less work, and more revenue for themselves.

This lockout is about owners wanting more from players without justified reasons or restitution.

The owners have not been willing to give proof that they have taken a financial loss, therefore needing more money back from players.

NFL owners are adamant in their desire to reduce the share of league revenue set aside for player salaries by roughly 18 percent ($1 billion) beginning next year.

NFL owners want to increase the amount of games, therefore increasing each player’s risk of injury, but decreasing salaries.

This lockout is about healthcare

Recently, the NFL said it would not continue active player healthcare in a lockout.

The average NFL career is only 3.6 years. It takes 3 accredited years to get just 5 years of post career healthcare.

The addition of 2 more games would hinder a player’s ability to get post career healthcare.

This lockout is about history

Everything the players have today is a result of a past fight for basic rights.

You would have to turn back the clock to the early 1980’s, in the days before free agency, to find a season in which the players’ share of football revenue was as low as that being proposed by the NFL owners. To this I have to say, "your pay is too low? Boo hoo! I make $250 a week on a good week.

[Carbonfiberfoot]

If you're jealous that the owners built empires, bought teams, and make piles of money off of them... then create your own financial empire, buy a team, and make piles of money off of it. That is how capitalism works.

The players simply run fast, throw well, or hit hard. They are the human cattle of the industry. Their expectance to make a commensurate amount of the profits is ridiculous. Level ones don't call CEOs and demand massive pay increases, especially when the league minimum is $325,000 to play a game. Let every player who wants out go, there are millions who are willing to replace them.

TL;DR - If you want to make owner money, buy a team.

[mdrdep]

I prefer college ball anyway

[Rifleguy]

I prefer college ball anyway

+1 You can't beat a good college atmosphere for fun.

[phillydog07]

They'd better play.....and not with replacements. A friend and I are planning on getting a friend of ours tickets for a wedding gift. Packers vs. Bears...at Lambeau on Chirstmas Day.

[mavriktu]

There is no way that either side can afford to not play. For me, it is summer and I could care less about the details nor am I worried about it. I still say they can resolve most of the dispute by eliminating preseason..no reason for it.

Come September, the games will be on.

Yes it is summer,but this is when they need to look at the rookies/draft choices and pare down the roster as well as getting the veterans in shape.Which brings up another rant,Prima Donna players(Reggie Bush for example),who get paid millions,show up run 2 plays,stub their toe, and sit the season out collecting money,doesnt seem to be in to much pain to make commercials or date tramps around the country.
The way I see it,an athlete is a self employed contractor,he is leasing his ability(knowledge),and his tools(their body),to you(the team),to do a job (win).To put this in simple terms,you are a house painter and I hire you to paint my house for a hundred dollars,you supply everything(I know,low,but this is an exampleyou show up with a small brush and a 1/2 pint of paint and are unable to finish the job of course,do you really think I should pay the entire amount???

[MargeGunderson]

Both sides are far too greedy when they already rake in millions, but how long do you think you would last at a regular job if you walked into the owner's office and demanded to see his/her profit statement for the year, so you can negotiate your own salary increase based on it?

[needguidance]

Yes it is summer,but this is when they need to look at the rookies/draft choices and pare down the roster as well as getting the veterans in shape.Which brings up another rant,Prima Donna players(Reggie Bush for example),who get paid millions,show up run 2 plays,stub their toe, and sit the season out collecting money,doesnt seem to be in to much pain to make commercials or date tramps around the country.
The way I see it,an athlete is a self employed contractor,he is leasing his ability(knowledge),and his tools(their body),to you(the team),to do a job (win).To put this in simple terms,you are a house painter and I hire you to paint my house for a hundred dollars,you supply everything(I know,low,but this is an exampleyou show up with a small brush and a 1/2 pint of paint and are unable to finish the job of course,do you really think I should pay the entire amount???

Yes, and most do pay it. Why? Because they insist on getting paid in advance and they either don't do the job they said they would do or they don't do it in the time they say.

I agree they are self employed contractors who have to sell themselves as you would on any job interview. What I'd like to know, is why they are not fired for not living up to the contract. They must have one hell of a clause regarding injuries.

[jannino]

I'm into college sports anyway. So much more fun and excitement in the game. They play their heart out no matter what.

I say slash tickets prices and nobody gets the extra money. They can enter in a better profit sharing agreement over concessions and merchandise sold at games. They'd make the fans happy and will make the same amount of money. Cheaper tickets means more $10 beers being sold.

[JasperST]

That's what happens when too much money get funneled into a sport. It stops being a sport and becomes a business. The NFL game play is designed around TV commercial air time with all the necessary timeouts.

I watch most games time shifted so I can watch a game in a hour or less.