Comments on: Rhetoric ramps up regarding American Needle case

By: SaintB

SaintB — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 20:16:59 +0000

The difference between the NFL and your employer is that your employer has competition. The only competition the NFL has is itself, the individual teams competing for free agents. That’s what the article is about. The NFL as a single entity shouldn’t be able to dictate what individual players make. They can attempt to negotiate a rookie salary scale with the union if they wish, but they can’t collude with each other to decide salaries.

By: bigrig

bigrig — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 11:56:44 +0000

NUMMI [a joint venture between GM and Toyota] auto plant in Fremont, Ca has announced it is ceasing operations in March 2010 due to the fact GM has pulled out. This closure is to be blamed for losing 5,000 union and 30,000/40,000 non-union jobs.
The UAW has always had an atagonistic relationship with Toyota management. Unions were a needed commodity in the 20th century. Now they are an albatross around the neck of the American work force.
Unions will always bite their members in the ass when it is all said and done.

By: Chapnasty2

Chapnasty2 — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 10:54:24 +0000

@ polish
Way to keep living the stereotype. He took a swipe at the conservative members of the majority on the court. If you still cant get that then you are seriously a waste. Being from Central NY and having visited Buffalo many times, combine with your political “philosophy” I can see this going nowhere.
@ Laststarfighter
Jobs went overseas because unions demanded unheard of wages and benefits, as a result companies couldnt make money and therefor risked losing their entire business. As a result they opted for cheaper labor which allowed them to make a profit. Comapnies that still use Unions are sinking fast, GM is a good example. I will assume your last statement about uninformed yahoos now directly is aimed at yourslef.

By: last starfighter

last starfighter — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 06:45:09 +0000

bluestree says: January 7, 2010 9:56 PM
Crush the players union, you say? When I was a kid, everybody I new that worked belonged to a union. Even the kids playing at the school dance on Saturday night. You could graduate from high school and have a chance at a good paying job. One income could support a family. America had the finest system af roads, bridges and transportation in the world. We were the undisputed world leader. Good jobs, good wages. Then in the 70′s factories started to close and move down south. Other places were sold and then reopened without unions and soon people were leaving town, moving south and west to find what were lower paying jobs. And meanwhile CEO’s and Bankers incomes ballooned with the profits from their investments, and even when their greed blew up the entire economy, the worker was asked to foot the bill, because you know, if you don’t, that could make it even worse.
I know that some of you will call me names, just like you’ve been conditioned to. But who can prove me wrong?
————————————————————–
Ding Ding Ding!
Great comment. When people want to go out and complain that unions are all terrible they are forgetting about most of American history. Sure unions aren’t always perfect and sure they’re subject to corruption just like business but they made the middle class.
This website which is already highly questionable becomes even more so when uninformed yahoos start injecting uninformed political opinions. That said, you can also find some gold here

By: back4dattack

back4dattack — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 02:18:22 +0000

@ rayg January 7, 2010 8:36 PM
Florio, I can’t speak for PFT planet, but these legal posts are the ones that keep me coming back here. You stand head and shoulders above the internet and broadcast noise in making this legal mumbo jumbo accessible to we laypeople and other assorted knuckleheads.
I agree with you. I first respected Florio’s posts on legal matters back when Mike Dick’s dog fighting ring was getting exposed. I also have liked the player and coach contract analysis.

By: briano29

briano29 — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 01:38:36 +0000

Headline threw me off but a great post Florio.
This is why PFT is different . . .

By: polishkingski

polishkingski — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 23:55:07 +0000

hey chapnasty, florio can write anything he likes. i don`t see anything overtly political in what he wrote. maybe because he mentioned the word union you got your panties in a tizzy. i love how loud mouth right wing types like yourself get called out and act like you are the victim. as far as defending vox (?) , who ever that is, i didn`t know you needed a buddy to stand up to somebody taking a jab at what you personally write. c`mon vox….aren`t you going to defend your buddy? GO BILLS!

By: Matty Ice

Matty Ice — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 23:18:11 +0000

At least this means more to the future of the NFL than StarCaps.
I can deal with Florio’s legal “expertise” when it actually….matters.

By: Ravens Macg

Ravens Macg — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 23:08:18 +0000

This “union” is not what a usual union is. This “union” is for millionaires to make more money on the backs of the fans that watch and go to the games.

By: AbeFreshly

AbeFreshly — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 23:07:54 +0000

So, if “the league arguably will have the tools to crush the NFLPA into submission”, I guess that will mean that players salaries will come down.
What a shame.
Somehow, I get the feeling that the quality of play would be much better. How can that be bad? Everyone else in western civilization has had to cope with decreasing wages. Why not 22 yr olds who say things like “We gone sting they ass”, or “it is what it is”, or (the ever popular & indispensible) “Nomesayin’”.
Do I even have to ax you if you agree with me?

By: VegasChris

VegasChris — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 22:49:45 +0000

I saw that rudimentary on ESPN. It was alright.
RUDI, RUDI, RUDI…

By: Joe C

Joe C — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 22:40:55 +0000

Maybe I’m wrong here, but I am sure ESPN, CBS Sports, Fox Sports and CNN SI can put their own spin on the same story.
If Mr. Florio did not have an opinion, I seriously doubt this site would have went over 2M hits so soon. (Not that Rosenthal, Smith, et al. don’t do their part.
Look, the owners DO have a lot of money. They are also the ones outlaying millions upon millions of dollars to get new stadiums in order to be profitable. Am I expected to cry about guys making six figures universally in the NFL? Sorry, I don’t feel any sympathy for them at all. These are players that bypass a college education (in many cases) for the money. Never mind the fact they are one catastrophic injury/accident away from losing that job, and having nothing to fall back on.
The owners gave too much in the last agreement, it was a far different economy then, and now they want to level the field. (And personally, a rookie salary cap HAS been needed for a long time). But of course, now the players are stinking rich, more than ever, and they don’t want to give it up.
More to the point of this case, it simply makes more sense for the NFL to deal with ONE vendor. If it WAS left open, could you imagine the uniform disorder? Reebok, Nike, Adidas, Puma, Under Armour, American Arrow, etc. We’ve all seen the ugly throwbacks of some teams; this could throw open the floodgates for some more ugliness that could approach the Oregon Ducks uniforms.

By: Pallidrone

Pallidrone — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 22:35:21 +0000

@ChapNasty
Florio writes a blog. There is no such thing as being journalistic or fair when it deals with a blog.
You are trying to hold him to a standard that he does not have to be held to.
If he wants to write an article about Conservatives being sheep to Rush and that liberals worship the ground Obama walks on, then he is absolutely free to do that. It is his site.

By: PurpleNGold

PurpleNGold — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 22:34:19 +0000

keep up the good work, Florio

By: Favre On HGH

Favre On HGH — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 22:30:44 +0000

I saw “needle case” and expected to see something concerning Favre or Vick and lost needles.
Good read though, hope the union does get crushed. Would love to see them disband and have it backfire on them. It is the union that criticizes Goodell and his “conduct policy” as being too strict, when it is not nearly strict enough.

By: bluestree

bluestree — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 21:56:44 +0000

Crush the players union, you say? When I was a kid, everybody I new that worked belonged to a union. Even the kids playing at the school dance on Saturday night. You could graduate from high school and have a chance at a good paying job. One income could support a family. America had the finest system af roads, bridges and transportation in the world. We were the undisputed world leader. Good jobs, good wages. Then in the 70′s factories started to close and move down south. Other places were sold and then reopened without unions and soon people were leaving town, moving south and west to find what were lower paying jobs. And meanwhile CEO’s and Bankers incomes ballooned with the profits from their investments, and even when their greed blew up the entire economy, the worker was asked to foot the bill, because you know, if you don’t, that could make it even worse.
I know that some of you will call me names, just like you’ve been conditioned to. But who can prove me wrong?
@bigbluefan; “Hence why more and more folks buy so called imports truth is not really imports just made in the USA by nonunion workers”
Dude, they told you not to eat the brown acid!

By: Somnambulus

Somnambulus — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 21:47:53 +0000

Excellent piece.
Chapnasty: this is a blog. Mike Florio is a blogger, not a journalist. There is a vast difference between the two. That many Americans cannot discern the difference is both concerning and telling.

By: TheBigOldDog

TheBigOldDog — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 21:36:40 +0000

# Dr. Hannibal Lector says: January 7, 2010 9:10 PM
Who needs who more?
All 32 owners would be just fine in life without the NFL.
The players however, without the NFL, where would most of them be? Not making millions of dollars. And some probably in jail.
__________________
Ah, the infamous BOTNA (best alternative to no agreement) strikes again. Damn Getting to Yes…

By: polishkingski

polishkingski — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 21:36:32 +0000

another thing chapnasty….i`ve noticed that this site removes your posts from time to time. why do you think that happens? i`ll tell you why….because any mention of anything thats not agreeable to your political agenda gets you angry. like i said before, go to town on that rush limblow blow-up doll (or is it a glen beck blow-up), see i`m confused because they both say the same stuff and there both bloated and puffy.

By: silverreign

silverreign — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 21:25:28 +0000

he attached his name to it people, drew brees didn’t write anything. look up the word attach in a legal dictionary.

By: TheBigOldDog

TheBigOldDog — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 21:22:02 +0000

Maybe Brees did write it. That would explain the Saints Performance lately. Saints Fans should hope he does feel the need to write another one for a while.

By: Chapnasty2

Chapnasty2 — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 21:13:48 +0000

@ Polish
Good sir, I am sorry that you are too sensitive to take it. Mr. Florio made a great attempt to bring in his political view points. I was strictly pointing out that it is inappropriate to be done when you are trying to be journalistic, or fair. This article was perfect until that part. My point is simple and I dont care what your political opinion is. You are commenting and are not required to be unbiased. I accept your personal attacks, that is fine. I apologize that I pissed you off simply by stating the truth.
I do however love how people attack me and Vox in such childish ways. A fake myspace page for him and me not being able to get laid. Not really a good way to win an argument but I guess when you aren’t bright enough to articulate your opinions that is the outcome.

By: Dr. Hannibal Lector

Dr. Hannibal Lector — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 21:10:49 +0000

Who needs who more?
All 32 owners would be just fine in life without the NFL.
The players however, without the NFL, where would most of them be? Not making millions of dollars. And some probably in jail.
Anyway, if the owners revenue share, they are one single entity. Macy’s doesn’t revenue share with JCPenney. Macy’s can revenue share with other Macy’s stores.
The problem with unions is that they were created to make sure workers were not abused and underpaid. The NFL is not an industry that needs a union. It should be crushed.

By: Fike Mlorio

Fike Mlorio — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 21:01:07 +0000

“But all of you should — if the union’s fears are accurate and if the NFL wins, the league arguably will have the tools to crush the NFLPA into submission.”
God forbid the owners get the upper hand this time after getting raped by the union the last go-around. Perhaps you’ve forgotten that De Smith is friends with Obama and headed up his transition team? Nothing to worry about, Florio, the NFLPA will be able to bring down the full force of the corrupt Chicago thug crew when they need it.

By: joedimaggio

joedimaggio — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 20:59:57 +0000

Please, don’t apologize for these kind of posts, they are great. And for the moron commenters who will whine and want you to just write boring news you can read anywhere, GET LOST.

By: Kipster

Kipster — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 20:51:46 +0000

I do believe that Drew Brees mother who died last year was a pretty big hot shot lawyer in Texas so I wouldn’t be too suprised if he did write it himself… then again he probably has access to a whole bunch of lawyers through his moms acquaintances to help him with writing it as well…

By: euclidean

euclidean — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 20:50:57 +0000

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz….

By: 56lightsout56

56lightsout56 — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 20:49:21 +0000

florio says
At some point over the next few days, I’ll be taking a close look at the briefs submitted by the NFL and other interested parties, and I’ll be addressing the situation in more detail. (So much for ditching the law practice.)
—————————————
thats great Florio. If I happen to have insomnia, I will know exactly what to read.

By: polishkingski

polishkingski — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 20:47:21 +0000

why, oh why when i decide to comment does chapnasty have to piss me off….as a “liberal” i think the union does not have a leg to stand on on this one if they try to use any positive out come (as they see it) in their favor. the nfl is a single entity. period. the teams that belong to it are part of the greater whole. its simple (you should understand this i can`t get laid, am bitter and full of hate chapnasty) when a business is formed under a legally registered trademark such as the nfl, you must adhere to the rules of said business. by the way florio, i tell everybody i know that LOVES pro football to hit your site. you have been able to achieve every fanatics dream. being able to make a living talking, bullshitting, and breaking balls about the game we love.

By: TheBigOldDog

TheBigOldDog — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 20:42:28 +0000

the players’ ace in the hole resides at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and every player and owner in the NFL knows it.