I’m thinking perhaps everyone is wrong in this argument. The reality in the NFL is simply not the same reality the rest of us live in, and we’re taking sides based on worldviews that are incompatible with the separate universe that is professional football. The kicker is that neither the players or owners truly listen or care what either their supporters & detractors think or say. No matter who comes out on top, the spoils stay with them, nothing goes to the fan.

Exactly!!! The NFL does not operate according to the same employer/employee model that so many on PFT insist on applying. So the worldviews regarding management, unions, “if you don’t like what we give you, go somewhere else,” etc., don’t work.

The players didn’t demand multi-million-dollar salaries and get them. When the players won free agency rights, the owners bid their salaries up based on their skills. The owners want the best players for their teams, and the wealthier owners were able to use cash signing bonuses as a way to skirt the salary cap. Those skilled at drafting still fared better in the long run. As the quality of players increased, the product became more valuable and people were willing to pay more to get it. The popularity of the game exploded. Owners were able to negotiate more lucrative TV deals and charge more for tickets. The value of their teams multiplied rapidly, but some teams are much more valuable than others. Revenue-sharing forces profitable teams to prop up less profitable teams, and that’s a bone of contention with several owners. If the players win the antitrust suits, they can dump that burden so some owners actually benefit if the players win.

Player salaries didn’t drive up the cost of tickets. The market determines ticket prices and the owners will charge those prices as long as they’re selling seats. So if the owners win and the players’ share of revenues decrease, your ticket prices will remain the same. Owners will have higher profits. Individual player contracts will remain the same, so the Bradys and Mannings will be fine. But the overall piece of the pie that’s divided among current players, healthcare, retirees will shrink. Fans will gain nothing.

If the players win, things stay as they are with players and owners continuing to get the same percentage of revenues they get now. And fans will gain nothing.

If the impasse continues, the fans will lose the season. If it ends–no matter how it ends–the fans gain nothing except getting back football.

I’m thinking perhaps everyone is wrong in this argument. The reality in the NFL is simply not the same reality the rest of us live in, and we’re taking sides based on worldviews that are incompatible with the separate universe that is professional football. The kicker is that neither the players or owners truly listen or care what either their supporters & detractors think or say. No matter who comes out on top, the spoils stay with them, nothing goes to the fan.

You’ll never watch another NFL game? So you’ll have no reason to comment on PFT once games resume. Bye.

Then put down the sippy cup and the NYPD cap–both made in China–and go to war with cops and firemen.

Or, you could just stick with picking on teachers, janitors and the other lucky, plucky survivors you refuse to understand.

How do you like that, Drew Magary?

Hey Troy, how bout that Head N Shoulders? WTF do you think that is!? small business?

these players are socialist driven lunatics. morons, all of them. gimme gimme gimme!

they only care about the money, and that’s the hyprocrisy and irony in their own statements!

i can’t wait til they all give up their endorsements deals. Power to the people!

The people who own the brand are the league.

Of course, the NFL would take a major hit if they had to employ replacements but they would survive, imo.

Troy – No
Really? No

Really?..yes…

Troy, do you really have a clue about what’s going in America these days?

Yes..

Really? yes…..

Really? No……

Yes, they believe they have a right to fair value, yes I am not a professional football player, so we should all be thankful we have these demi-gods to watch in awe each Sunday (both very weak counter points by the way), but I cannot fathom how if I am unemployed or living in poverty, (for which I am thankfully blessed that I am not), a player can complain about making more money,
when even a minimum salary is like 10 times the average Joe or Annie make, who actually pay for their salaries through watching games on TV and buying merchandise..

Troy should know this better then anyone else playing, since, you know, he plays in small market Pittsburgh.

I think DeMaurice is doing a real good job of shi*ng the bed and he is going to get crucified when this all ends.

1) The Jets are scheduled to play Dallas at home as are the Redskins to play the Giants on the Sunday that will commemorate the 10th anniversary of 09/11. If those games are cancelled, the owners have to know that the enormous public backlash that will result will drag Congress into the impasse (and there’s no way that the owners want any part of that); and

2) The owners want to “teach the union a lesson” by making sure that their members lose at least a real game paycheck or two (as they aren’t paid their salaries for the meaningless exhibition games). That means the season of course won’t start on time as scheduled.

There’s one thing that the networks can do that will really pressure the owners to settle, and that’s to start moving marque collegiate teams games to Sundays; look for that to happen if/when the season doesn’t start on time.

Recognizing the economic realities of how the league operates does not make one a player sycophant. It could more rationally be argued that sucking up to big business, lobbying to give the richest among us tax breaks and bailouts in the naive belief they’ll use the money to trickle down jobs and opportunities to the rest of us–when history shows that does not happen–makes you and other pro-business/pro-owner supporters sycophants.

As I said, like Polamalu, tdman21 is too bright for the room. Both of them were talking about Big Picture issues in the national economy and how they relate to the NFL’s labor impasse. You’re talking about specifics in the contract negotiations.

If you persist in seeing NFL players as typical employees, you will never understand the NFL business model. They are not typical employees. And you are wrong: There are not more talented players available than jobs to offer them. The opposite is true–which is why their salaries have been bid so high. As with any precious commodity, the rarer it is, the more valuable it is. The NCAA cannot produce enough top-flight QBs to lead half its 32 teams. That’s why Tom Brady and Peyton Manning earn as much as they do.

I agree with you to a point on your potential argument–which is why I favor a rookie salary cap. People should be paid according to their production more than their potential. One problem with the rookie cap, however, is that the league wanted to lengthen rookie contracts. When a guy is playing six years at a capped rate, he’s no longer a rookie, he’s into his prime earning years. You see, these issues are not as cut-and-dried as they seem.

Furthermore, to paraphrase one player union rep, “We get paid for potential.” Breakdown: Pay me based on your highest performance expectations you think I’m capable of. If I live up to them I’ll expect even more money, if I don’t well I’m keeping the cash & too bad for you.

I think I’m worth more than what I get paid also, but I’m not groaning about it because I agreed to accept the salary. I can ask for a raise, if denied my recourse is to either accept that, find another job, or change careers. Same options these morons should have. There’s more talented players than there are positions & teams to play on, they apparently fail to appreciate that.

The flowery raise-your-fist rhetoric simply doesn’t apply in the NFL situation. I agree with your point that CEO’s are way overpaid in corporate America, but what does that have to do with this situation? The team owners invested huge sums of money in these businesses, and their profit is less than the amounts being paid to the players. Additionally why do player sycophants like you and Deb consistently refuse to recognize the players got offered 25% raise in salary money???

Brilliant post. You are far too bright for this room. But thank you for a rare comment that elevates the discussion with thought-provoking insight rather than dragging it into the gutter by trying to diminish and degrade others. It’s nice to encounter an adult among the children.

Grow-up. Get over your egos. Work something out. At a time in our country when most people are on hard economic times, I would not take my fans for granted. You let this B.S. start cutting into the season and “we” fans may vote with our wallets the first chance that we get!

“Big Business moved and is still moving our good paying jobs overseas. Their greed is why you can’t speak with an American when you call product help lines. They are killing the American Dream to satisfy only themselves.”

OK now…take it further. Why are those businesses moving overseas? Doesn’t have anything at all to do with Unions like this crappy one trying to take more than their share or demanding compensation that literally makes every country in the world’s regulations pale in comparison. It wouldn’t be that we’ve upped the tax burdens on these companies to the point that it literally will save their company to pack up shop and move the whole thing around the world.

Can’t expect the tomatoes who frequent this site to understand that. Seems to me most have a love/hate relationship with the Players. They love to watch them play and kill each other. The hate to see them properly compensated for it.

Properly compensated? A lot of folks are erroneously posting the 50% number when if fact the players already get over 58% of the current revenue. I’m a business owner myself and if one of my employees were to demand a 58% chunk of my profits I’d laugh at them as they walked out the door to find a new job. But we’re all tomatoes for not getting your warped fallacy based logic. Gotcha…giantrealist? More like giantdumbass.

How about all those other teams employees who are having their PAY slashed because of this. Is that really big business’s fault? What these fools don’t realize is without profit there are NO JOBS! Then again I don’t think any stupid USC grad who probably never attended a class and was paid by all those BIG BUSINESS alumni would understand this.

Here’s hoping your hurt AGAIN this year or ,get raped by your starting QB , and never have to work for “Big Business” again!

IDIOT!

POLAMOLECULES

Polamillionaires.

I hate to break to you but no other work force is in the same position as NFL players. In any other work force, workers create a product/service which is bought by consumers – the consumers like the product/service NOT the actual worker which is why business owners can replace the workers and keep creating the same product which will be bought by the consumers. You can’t replace NFL players and have the same product because consumers aren’t just buying “football” they are buying a brand of football that only the best players can provide. Consumers are also paying to see the actual workers (players) themselves…needless to say, your average worker isn’t in the same position and therefore wouldn’t be able to ask for a 50/50 split.

“Polamalu signed a five-year contract worth $33 million, making him the highest-paid Steeler and highest-paid safety in the NFL. He will receive bonuses — including signing and roster bonuses — of $15,375,000.”

This is getting to be Dumb and Dumber.

——

Really Troy? Tell that to all the players who hold out for more money each year and take their team hostage for paying a kings ransom. (i.e. D. Revis)