This is no different than producers paying actors big bucks. The market has determined what these men are worth, and something tells me you love the free market. Producers cover the production costs and actors give the performance. That’s the way it works–except in that case, actors also sometimes get a piece of the profits!

The owners have no business without the players–unless you want to watch Richardson chase Jones down the field while that squirt Snyder tries to block. And the owners aren’t paying player health care out of their share because it comes out of that 59+ percent along with pension funds for retired players that didn’t get anything when they played.

By the way, the owners already skim a billion off the top before they divvy up the agreed-upon percentages. Now they want to skim another billion. And the players made an offer a few weeks ago that would have taken them back to pre-2002 earning levels but the owners turned it down because they were preparing for this lockout. That was the master plan from the get-go.

You go right ahead sending all that love up to Big Business, Big Banking, and Wall Street and just keep waiting for them to trickle it back to you. I’m a small business owner and don’t intend to double as anyone’s urinal.

As far as pricing the middle-class out, that’s a different ball of wax altogether. The solution is…Don’t go! If you don’t go, prices and salaries come down together.

As far as my tighty-whities go, I’ll gladly pay a few dollars more to support my fellow American middle-class working man. You keep buying your chinese-made, anti-itch cream from Walmart (where prices are only marginally better than Costco despite Walmart compensating their employees in a way that would make a pre-union 1930′s rail worker vomit).

jerseydevil – why should the players live in your miserable definition of “REAL WORLD” when they can pool their power, organize, and get what’s fair? This action should not be condemned but instead heralded! The harder people work, logically, the better they should perform their jobs creating a better and more valuable product. This value should be recognized by their employers in the form of better salaries, benefits, etc. but is not because business owners will not pay more than they have to. Since non-union employees in this position are rather powerless, it is their fault that they do not grow a pair, assemble, and leverage their collective talents as a UNION to get what is fair. The NFLPA is doing just that. I, for one, will not begrudge them just because it is on a much larger scale.

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Wow, jakek2…let me guess…you whistle “look for the union label” while you’re out buying your tidy-whities??

My definition of the “real world” is not miserable, it’s fact. The economy sucks, and it’s not getting better anytime soon. Unemployment has been over 10% for years. Homes are being foreclosed on left and right. Most people are just getting by. But under your union-inspired wisdom, the fact that NFL players want more and more money and have a union should be…what was the word you used…heralded? Bullcrap. It’s greed.

Let me clue you in on something, friend. The NFL (and every other major sports league, for that matter) has been going down a dangerous road for years. Salaries keep going up, and where exactly do you think the revenue is coming to support these increases?? The fans, that’s where.

The fans…you, me, everyone on here and everyone who goes to games…has to bear the burden for the exorbitant player salaries. And I’m not absolving the owners for writing the contracts in this mess; they’re just as much at fault. But you can’t keep increasing player salaries millions and millions of dollars each year, especially since the fans – many who have been hit hard in this economy – are the ones footing the bill. It doesn’t matter how “valuable your product” is…there is going to come a point where the growth stops. Every business peaks; it’s Economics 101. The NFL, the owners and the players are pricing the middle-class out of their market, and they’re all too stupid to see it.

Unions served their purpose back in the day, when they were formed for the purpose of getting better working conditions or pay for employees. I don’t think this applies to spoiled multi-millionaire athletes.

“Without us fans, there is no NFL. Period. End of story.”

I know that, but we need to remind the owners and players of that – it seems they’ve forgotten.

They have demanded one billion dollars be peeled off the top before dividing up revenues into the agreed-upon percentages. And since they haven’t gotten their way, the owners have shut down the league. The players are going to court trying to force them back into business.

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Hey Deb…I’m going to clue you in on a little secret…businesses are in business to MAKE MONEY FOR THE OWNER, NOT THE EMPLOYEES.

I love how all the owner-bashers throw out the fact that the owners want a billion dollars off the top. This amounts to $31.2 million per team…not so much when you break it down per club, and compare it to the contract amounts the players/employees are making, is it??

Oh, and let’s not forget that out of the owners shares, they have to pay health insurance, taxes, staff fees and all of those other incidental things that come with running an NFL team. The players do NOT share in these expenses.

jerseydevil – your “plan” presupposes that Owners will take their windfall and give it back to the fans in the form of cheaper seats / merchandise. You must live in fairy tale land with the rest of the republi-crites. That extra money is going right back in their pockets which will give them more ability to figure out ways to screw YOU the fan. Quit being a lemming.

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jakek2, although my neighborhood is decent, I wouldn’t call it “fairy-tale land”. It’s the type of place where most people work hard and try to get ahead as best they can…and some who can’t find jobs at all, and would give anything to have one to ward off foreclosure, creditor calls and little things like paying the bills and putting food on the table for their families. It’s called the REAL WORLD; you should go there sometime.

As for being a lemming, I would rather put my trust in an agreement where both parties will realize that their golden egg is teetering precariously in an economy that has more bleak times ahead than sunshine…and one where they will both take dramatic steps to right the ship both now and in the future. Otherwise we’re going to be right back here again in 6 or 7 years with players complaining that a $400 million contract is “just not enough to live on”.

jerseydevil – your “plan” presupposes that Owners will take their windfall and give it back to the fans in the form of cheaper seats / merchandise. You must live in fairy tale land with the rest of the republi-crites. That extra money is going right back in their pockets which will give them more ability to figure out ways to screw YOU the fan. Quit being a lemming.

Folks, the NFL is out of business because the employees want more money.
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Just making up the facts as you go, skoob?

The players didn’t ask for any more money. In fact, the players offered a deal that would have them taking a smaller cut than they have in any year since 2002. The owners rejected the proposal and blew off negotiations until the ninth hour when the cameras were watching. Then they made what seemed to be a generous offer that ignored the central issue: They have demanded one billion dollars be peeled off the top before dividing up revenues into the agreed-upon percentages. And since they haven’t gotten their way, the owners have shut down the league. The players are going to court trying to force them back into business.

You may hate elite athletes. But that doesn’t grant you leave to rewrite the story.

skoobyfl says:

Folks, the NFL is out of business because the employees want more money.
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Just making up the facts as you go, skoob?

The players didn’t ask for any more money. In fact, the players offered a deal that would have them taking a smaller cut than they have in any year since 2002. The owners rejected the proposal and blew off negotiations until the ninth hour when the cameras were watching. Then they made what seemed to be a generous offer that ignored the central issue: They have demanded one billion dollars be peeled off the top before dividing up revenues into the agreed-upon percentages. And since they haven’t gotten their way, the owners have shut down the league. The players are going to court trying to force them back into business.

You may hate elite athletes. But that doesn’t grant you leave to rewrite the story.

Just a few comments, if your proposal is all players make the same money but it changes based on the number of years in the league, then why would they need contracts? They will make the same if they play for the Patriots or the Browns, teams will get stacked and the bad teams will get worse. Money and big contracts allow small market or bad teams to draw talent. An alternative to that is no contract. you’re drafted, you are on that team until you retire (officially, not like Brett Favre) or they release you. That would reward teams for drafting well.

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Sorry, Bahama but I respectfully disagree.

Every player would want – and need – a contract because it’s their “employment agreement” that entitles them to the points outlined above.

And yes…players would make the same whether they played for the Patriots or the Browns. So how exactly would teams get stacked? Players would be offered the same compensation regardless of where they played, so why would they want to move? Three reasons: 1) bigger market = better endorsements; 2) better run team = better chance to win a Super Bowl or 3) player’s boyhood dream to play for Team X.

But let’s face it…the Washington, New York and Dallas rosters only have 53 spots. Having a job that pays you damn well in a small market isn’t necessarily a kiss of death for your career. In fact, I’d argue that if Brett Favre hadn’t screwed the Packers faithful over by heading to other teams, he would have been revered in GB until the day he died. What’s the worth of that? Not to mention…do ya think that 90% of the Cowboys, Redskins and Giants players wish to god that they played for the small-market Packers this year?

Yes, money and big contracts have allowed small market teams to draw talent. Money and big contracts have also allowed players to feel like they are always entitled to more. I’m sick of hearing that Player A makes $5mil more and I think I’m better so pay me to show me respect. It’s destroying the game.

I say take it back. Owners cut ticket prices to assist fans, this shrinks the revenue pool, and players still earn a substantial salary playing a game. Everyone wins, especially the fans.

jerseydevil856, while I do admire your passion, I’m just not sure some of your points are realistic or even feasible.

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What exactly is not feasible? Both the players and the owners are simply scaling back the revenues to assist the fans…who pay BOTH their wages. Without us fans, there is no NFL. Period. End of story.

Well folks there you have it, the reason the case was punted to her. The outcome is fixed in favor of the players…..what a surprise. Everything about Obama and his administration is corrupt and now their hands are all over the NFL. 2012 can’t come soon enough.

Folks, the NFL is out of business because the employees want more money. Bleed for them not as they do not know what to do.

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Wow Skoobyfl. You are remarkably uninformed. The players have not asked for one dime more than their contract calls for. Tiz the owners who opted out and want a larger share.

Kudos to the NFLPA for not backing down to the man! The harder you fight, the more respect you get from this fan!

Fight on!

Second, after 14 years of paying for Sunday Ticket, I’m done this year. I was thinking about canceling anyways, this just seals it.

NFL get your garbage straightened out in a year or two maybe we’ll talk, but if the players are taking a pay cut, there’s no way in heck I’m paying more to watch them on my TV every single year. That makes no sense. I’m voting with my money, and my money says no to the NFL!

That money they’re squabbling over? Where do they think it comes from? It’s OUR money, every cent of it, until we decide to give it to them.

If fans could somehow come together and organize a moratorium on NFL purchases of every kind for say, one month, that would scare the living sh*t out of both sides.

The consequences to the NFL of losing me as a fan are:
1. I will not attend games in person.
2. I will not watch games on tv and I will boycott the advertisers who have a relationship with the NFL.
3. I will not purchase or display any NFL merchandise. Providing neither the NFL or my favorite team or players with free advertising.
4. I will encourage other “former fans” to join me in this endeavor.

I don’t believe for a moment that the NFL will miss me or my money! But, I felt it was my duty to provide this written warning. Thank you for the platform.

I am your average football fan, and I pay your salary. Yes, the paycheck that you cash may have the name of the team that you play for written on it, as well as the signature of the team owner or president…but make no mistake about it, without me you would not have a livelihood.

The level of greed that I have seen from all of you is the reason that most people cannot stand, or identify with, today’s athlete. You have been bestowed with a natural talent – a gift – that the majority of the population would give anything to own. This gift provides you with celebrity status. It offers you our adoration and our support every week. It enables you to play a game that we all grew up loving, and be rewarded financially for it. Do you have any idea of how many of us would love that opportunity – to be cheered while having a career doing something that we actually loved? And yet, you want more.

Do you know that the overwhelming majority of you will make more in your playing career than most of us will ever make in our entire lifetime? Yes, some of you will have short careers – but the amount of time that you play football professionally will give you the finances needed to invest, start a business or do any number of things that will allow you to live comfortably the rest of your lives. And yet, you want more.

Both you and the owners have stated that the fans are the most important part of the NFL, and yet neither of you can relate to us at all. Most of us can’t afford to take our families to a game anymore because of the outrageous ticket and concession prices, let alone the PSL’s that enable us the opportunity to just to purchase a ticket. And yet, you want more.

Frankly, we are tired of it.

If you truly value the fans, then show them. I propose the following 10 point settlement to your dispute, which I feel is more than fair to the players, the owners, and the fans:

1) Each NFL player will earn $250,000 for every year of service. This means that every rookie will earn $250,000 a year; every second year player will earn $500,000 a year; a 5th year player will earn $1.25 million a year; etc. The longer you play, the more you earn every year…which is equivalent to how most of our jobs are. If we are with the same organization longer, we earn a raise and make more. And you will do so happily, with the understanding that you are being paid more than you would ever receive with most any other type of employment.

2) You will have the ability to earn bonuses based on team performance. If your team makes the playoffs, every member of the team will receive a $50,000 bonus. If your team wins the Super Bowl, every team member will receive an additional $100,000 bonus.

3) Every player’s rookie contract will be for 2 years, which will be sufficient time for the team to evaluate the player, and for the player to evaluate the team. At the completion of that period, each new contract will be for 4 years.

4) Your contract will become guaranteed for the year providing that you are on a team’s 53 man roster. Therefore, if you get injured, you will still be paid for the year.

5) As a professional football player, you will acknowledge that you are (like it or not) a role model for younger people. As such, you are expected to conduct yourselves accordingly while you represent your team, your city and your region. Failure to do so will lead to disciplinary action, up to and including suspension and termination from the league. Playing in the NFL is a privilege, not a right.

6) As your contracts are fairly easy, there will be no need to pay agents a 10% fee, unless you choose to use them for any type of endorsement deals.

7) Every NFL team will offer full, lifetime benefits to you and your family, free of charge. Again, this is better than what most of us ever receive, and you will receive it for free.

8) Every NFL team will provide you with a access to a financial advisor, free of charge. They will show you how to maximize your earnings and prepare for life after the game of football.

9) The owners will immediately institute a 65% across-the-board reduction of ticket prices and concession fees. This will afford the average family the ability to actually attend NFL games, especially in our current economic climate.

10) The NFL will immediately lift its blackout policy. You are enabling more fans the opportunity to attend each event, so you should not need to worry about selling out each event. For those that can attend a game, it will be easier to do so. For the fans who are not able to because of work commitments or financial problems, you will still be providing goodwill towards them.

This may not seem like much in light of what you may currently be earning. If you’re not happy with it, then by all means, you are welcome to find other gainful employment at the company of your choice. I’m fairly certain that there is someone that will be more than willing – and capable – of taking your place on a team’s roster. And I will cheer for them.

Sincerely,

The Fans