CBA Thread

Killion: NFL playing a dangerous game

"The downside of a debate between rich people and very, very rich people, one that leaves the fan saying 'What about me?' is not to be underestimated," said Dolich, who works as a consultant in the Bay Area.

There are some indicators that should make NFL owners pause before they assume all will be right with the world.

• The public is not stupid. When the owners start crying poor, the fans know that NFL television ratings broke all records last season and that money floods into the owners' pockets.

• The public tends to be sympathetic to the players. Most fans are well aware that football players -- unlike many other well-paid athletes -- put their healthy and safety at risk every time they step on the field. They know that NFL careers are short. That the contracts are, for the most part, not guaranteed. If the public chooses sides, it will likely be with the players.

• The public is increasingly priced out. Last season, the NFL was blacked out more than at any time since 2004 and attendance figures dropped. So while the game has never been more popular, the canary in the coal mine could be actual butts in the seats.

And the NFL heads into this lockout with a P.R. issue. As the league steamed toward the March 3 deadline, a number of incidents have added up to an image problem.

• The league has paid lip service to concern over player injury while negotiating for a longer season. The league appears to be dragging its feet on concussion safety: a standardized concussion test was just instituted last week.

• During what should have been the league's finest moment, the Super Bowl, greed seemed to rule the day. Tickets were sold for seats that couldn't be used -- even though the league had advance warning. The displaced fans are suing and their plight resonates with the average NFL fan.

• Some of the owners are idiots. Reports that Carolina owner Jerry Richardson spoke disparagingly to two of the league's icons -- Peyton Manning and Drew Brees -- doesn't do much for owner popularity. If you were to take a poll by fans in each market on how much they like their local owner, the results would be underwhelming at best, save for a handful of markets.

Of course, none of these red flags mean the fans won't come flooding back as soon as the next NFL season gets under way. Football is wildly popular and nothing comes close to replacing it. The owners surely believe that they can take a hard stance and suffer no adverse long-term consequences.

But we're about to witness a heck of a litmus test.

League, players' union meet, will continue talks Wednesday - NFL.com

Quote:
"We're all committed to the process," NFL general counsel Jeff Pash said before the meeting. "We all know what the calendar is, and we all know what's at stake for everybody. That's why we're here and we're going to be here as long as it takes and works as hard as we can work to get something done."

Quote:
Seattle Seahawks guard Chester Pitts, part of a large group of players who accompanied NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith to the negotiations, said he was "cautiously optimistic" about the talks.

The Wrath of Doty persists- National Football Post

Originally posted by PTulini:
The Wrath of Doty persists- National Football Post

This may actually be the best thing that could happen. If the owners can't use that money then they may be more inclined to work with the NFLPA.

ochocinco: The NFLPA won a huge legal victory over the NFL today in the TV $ case! This means a long term lockout is now very unlikely!! #cool

Federal judge backs NFLPA in dispute over TV money - ESPN

Originally posted by PTulini:
Federal judge backs NFLPA in dispute over TV money - ESPN

This is some of the direst s**t to develop amongst this entire situation. -When you usually hear the word "Escrow" involved in any money/labor dispute it's never usually a good thing. Crooked businessmen who want to make money numbers disappear/hide within third-party businesses/accounts so they don't look 'too' greedy (so they don't have to give up incentives/raised rates the moment the labor commission knows you're getting fat).

Originally posted by TheChozen:

Originally posted by PTulini:
The Wrath of Doty persists- National Football Post

This may actually be the best thing that could happen. If the owners can't use that money then they may be more inclined to work with the NFLPA.

Exactly. Before this happened I was not convinced that the owners were really trying to get this resolved quickly, since they knew they could easily wait out the union while still earning TV revenue. Now they will have to actually try and hammer out a deal.

I'm not on the side of the union or the owners. I'm on the side of the fan. And for fans, I think this is a big win.

Originally posted by TheFunkyChicken:

Originally posted by TheChozen:

Originally posted by PTulini:
The Wrath of Doty persists- National Football Post

This may actually be the best thing that could happen. If the owners can't use that money then they may be more inclined to work with the NFLPA.

Exactly. Before this happened I was not convinced that the owners were really trying to get this resolved quickly, since they knew they could easily wait out the union while still earning TV revenue. Now they will have to actually try and hammer out a deal.

I'm not on the side of the union or the owners. I'm on the side of the fan. And for fans, I think this is a big win.

Agreed. I don't think the owners and players realize(or just don't care) about the fact that they're gonna alienate the fans with a lockout. The fans don't care about a bunch of rich people arguing over money.

Originally posted by TheChozen:

Originally posted by TheFunkyChicken:

Originally posted by TheChozen:

Originally posted by PTulini:
The Wrath of Doty persists- National Football Post

This may actually be the best thing that could happen. If the owners can't use that money then they may be more inclined to work with the NFLPA.

Exactly. Before this happened I was not convinced that the owners were really trying to get this resolved quickly, since they knew they could easily wait out the union while still earning TV revenue. Now they will have to actually try and hammer out a deal.

I'm not on the side of the union or the owners. I'm on the side of the fan. And for fans, I think this is a big win.

Agreed. I don't think the owners and players realize(or just don't care) about the fact that they're gonna alienate the fans with a lockout. The fans don't care about a bunch of rich people arguing over money.

I think the owners will lock the players out this week, but will agree on a new CBA before the draft. if they don't agree they won't have any other real "deadline" till August.

How did New Orleans sign DT Shaun Rogers to a one-year deal if there is no free agency right now?

Originally posted by TheChozen:

Originally posted by TheFunkyChicken:

Originally posted by TheChozen:

Originally posted by PTulini:
The Wrath of Doty persists- National Football Post

This may actually be the best thing that could happen. If the owners can't use that money then they may be more inclined to work with the NFLPA.

Exactly. Before this happened I was not convinced that the owners were really trying to get this resolved quickly, since they knew they could easily wait out the union while still earning TV revenue. Now they will have to actually try and hammer out a deal.

I'm not on the side of the union or the owners. I'm on the side of the fan. And for fans, I think this is a big win.

Agreed. I don't think the owners and players realize(or just don't care) about the fact that they're gonna alienate the fans with a lockout. The fans don't care about a bunch of rich people arguing over money.

1. If both sides are confident in their positions, then they should submit to binding arbitration.

2. If fans formed a union, then binding arbitration could be its one demand.

Originally posted by Chief:
How did New Orleans sign DT Shaun Rogers to a one-year deal if there is no free agency right now?

he was cut by the browns.

Players who have no contract now can sign with any team.

All the other players are under contract till Thursday night.

WASHINGTON -- All 10 members of the NFL owners' labor committee and New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees are attending negotiations as the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement nears.

Wednesday's talks between the sides at the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service comes on the same day that the league's 32 team owners are gathering to meet at a hotel about 25 miles away in Chantilly, Va.

The mediation resumed a day after a federal judge handed NFL players a key ruling Tuesday in their fight to strip the league of $4 billion in TV revenue they contend was unfairly and illegally secured as a way to survive a lockout.

The CBA runs out at midnight Eastern time as Thursday becomes Friday, and whatever happens this week could cause the country's most popular sport to lose regular-season games to a work stoppage for the first time since 1987. Or, perhaps, everything could be resolved by management and labor in an industry with revenues topping $9 billion annually.

Originally posted by TheChozen:

Originally posted by TheFunkyChicken:

Originally posted by TheChozen:

Originally posted by PTulini:
The Wrath of Doty persists- National Football Post

This may actually be the best thing that could happen. If the owners can't use that money then they may be more inclined to work with the NFLPA.

Exactly. Before this happened I was not convinced that the owners were really trying to get this resolved quickly, since they knew they could easily wait out the union while still earning TV revenue. Now they will have to actually try and hammer out a deal.

I'm not on the side of the union or the owners. I'm on the side of the fan. And for fans, I think this is a big win.

Agreed. I don't think the owners and players realize(or just don't care) about the fact that they're gonna alienate the fans with a lockout. The fans don't care about a bunch of rich people arguing over money.

It's not that they don't care, it's that they don't think anything they do will alienate fans to the point that attendance or tv ratings will decrease. They see us as sheep who will return regardless of how long this is drawn out.