Whether NFL owners and players can close a deal in short order is a matter that is currently up for debate.
We do know that one of the primary factors in wanting a deal in the next few weeks would be in order to avoid missing preseason games, which make teams more money than you’d think for teams and the city they play in.
Jerry Roper, head of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, tells the Chicago Sun-Times that a missed preseason game costs the city $3 million before concessions are taken into account. Add that, and the total is closer to $7-$8 million, which Roper calls conservative.
Another expert the paper spoke with estimates the city would lose $650,000 in lost tax revenue per game.
In a tweet to Cris Collinsworth Wednesday, NFL spokesman Greg Aiello wrote: “Many misunderstand preseason revenue. All goes into cap. Each preseason week worth $200 million in revenue for players/teams.”
While fans don’t care much about the preseason, it’s still huge business. Which is another reason why there is so much pressure on the rest of this and next week’s labor talks.