So we are NFL fans and we are concerned...I hear you...truthfully I am downright panicked...the NFL and the NFLPA have enough major issues, enough angry rhetoric, enough combative actions already that all point to the NFL owners and the NFL Players Association being way apart on agreeing to a new Collective Bargaining Agreement...the current CBA expires on March 4, 2011...we did see potential progress recently when the two sides agreed to enter into Mediation...but still there are issues that have huge gaps between the two sides...
Let's see what we are looking at...
Now I would issue a warning here that a lot of what you are going to see will not make sense...multibillionaires arguing with multimillionaires about how to divide the spoils of a $9 billion per year industry does not compute to most...and as in all labour disputes/work stoppages in sports it is us, the fans, that actually suffer...
Here is as good a place to start as any...right now the Owners get $1 billion off the top of the approx $9 billion annual revenue, and then the remaining $8 billion is split at approx 60-40 in the players' favor...the owners want to start the new CBA talks by adding an additional $1 billion off the top to take that to $2 billion before splitting the remaining $7 billion with the players...the owners want the players share to be cut to approx 40-42 percent (that % of revenue would make the NFLPA the lowest percentage Union in pro sports)...the players, as you can imagine, were not impressed...NFLPA offered to eliminate the $1 billion off the top (certainly not allow it to grow to the $2 bill the owners want) and then have a seemingly fair 50-50 split of the $9 billion...the owners declined...the NFLPA feared the owners would decline as they seem convinced that the NFL owners are intent on a work stoppage so as to force a major financial swing in their favor...heck the home page of the NFLPA has a ticker counting down to midnight on March 3, 2011 called "Lockout Watch"...yikes...NFL owners saw that in the NHL dispute a few years ago that the NHLPA insisted all through their labor dispute with the NHL owners that they would not give in to salary roll-backs, salary cap etc and the owners locked the players out until it all happened...W for the owners...looks like the NFL owners may follow that strategy...word is the owners will get approx $4 billion in TV money irregardless of if a season happens or not in 2011...so the owners "war chest" looks to be strong giving them an opportunity to absorb a lenghty work stoppage...can the same be said of the NFLPA?!?!...The PA did tell their players in early December 2010 to at least save their last 3 game checks, and previously warned players to work with their advisors to prepare for a way to have $ for 2011 as there is a great chance there will be no paychecks in 2011...Historically speaking no Union has been beaten worse in negotiations than the NFLPA...
We know the owners want to expand the regular season from 16 games to 18, while reducing the preseason to two games...(Side Note - that is a game changer...is 1,000 yards rushing impressive in a 18 game sched?!?! How about 1,000 yards receiving?!?!)...Bonus structures of all contracts will have new looks to them...For the NFLPA you do not want your players to have 2 games per year added on...the average career of an NFL player is only 3.4 years as it is...the only good point I have ever heard Steelers LB James Harrison make is how can the NFL be fining players left and right in the name of "players safety", but want to add 2 more grueling games to the schedule each year...
Another issue is how rookies get paid...the NFLPA proposed a 4 year max for 1st - 3rd round draft picks with 3 years for draft picks after that...they also want the players to be able to negotiate the contracts individually... The owners want a rookie wage scale that will have a set $ amount at each draft spot, so no individually negotiated contracts, and those contracts would be valid for up to 5 years...also owners want the first opportunity for a player to renegotiate a new deal, or extend a contract, to be after 3 years...owners also want fixed bonuses, and those bonuses to be paid over the length of contract, not lump sum...and the contract and bonuses will be void "if the player does not toe the Club's line in every way" (that wording or interpretation of the owners proposal is from NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith...not happy rhetoric)
All of the above issues really have most concern for players in the 3-5 years experience category which makes up the majority of the NFLPA...the fight has just begun...owners are set up for a work stoppage...players fear a work stoppage, but feel it is coming...How will you and I be spending our Sundays in Sept, Oct, Nov, Dec of 2011?!?! God help us in Jan and Feb 2012 when we should be in playoff mode...time will tell...
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