The last time AFL players went on strike, players from the Pittsburgh Power walked out. On Friday night, they didn’t have to.
The Power traveled to Cleveland to play the Gladiators. The Gladiators players went on strike, the AFL opted not to hire replacements for the game, and the Power won by forfeit.
“Despite many offers from the League, a group of players with the Cleveland Gladiators have opted to go on strike,” AFL Commissioner Jerry B. Kurz said in a press release. “Because of the circumstance at hand, the Cleveland Gladiators have forfeited the matchup.”
(Reached for comment, the Power collectively said: “Hooray?”)
All other Week 14 games will be played, according to the AFL. “The remainder of the 2012 AFL season and postseason is not in jeopardy,” Kurz said. “Unfortunately, a small group of players entered a work stoppage.”
They need to work it out. Given that the AFL gets more notice nationally when it doesn’t play games than when it does, they shouldn’t alienate whatever fans that may have.