New CBA talks, scheduled for today, were cancelled because both sides are too far apart to even meet. This is not good. They are $1 BILLION apart. The NFL makes about $9 BILLION a year. Under the old deal, owners took $1 Billion of the top for expenses, and the players got 60% of the balance. Now, the owners are claiming skyrocketing costs, and want a SECOND BILLION DOLLARS to offset those costs, while negotiating the players percentage. Players say show us those costs, Owners say we have, players say you have not. FASCINATING for fans who cannot afford to go to games. $1,000,000,000 is all that separates them. $9.000,000,000 is what fans are worth.
Screw them. There needs to be a permanent CBA in place. This shouldnt need to be rehashed every 2-3 years.
I don't feel sorry for either side. There is waaaaaaaayyyyy to much money exchanging hands for me to support either.
Unbelievable really. Just unbelievable. Both sides. I think this will only get uglier. If the season doesn't go as planned, I see a situation similar to baseball happening. Once all these bigtime profit numbers come out, and each side keeps bickering and being greedy, fans ultimately well say screw you to both of them, and just not show up. However, with football's cult like following, people will still go I'm sure. I think hockey had an advantage in their CBA situation in that fans actually supported the move to the CBA and salary cap. I know I did. I was ok with loosing some hockey so they could establish a system to provide more parity in the league talent wise, and financially. This whole thing however is just going to make both sides look extremely greedy, and I can see it costing the league some fans.
I'm laying this whole thing on the owners. They want to pay the players 1 Billion Dollars less + make them play 2 more games. I don't see how they expect the players to agree to such concessions. The owners claim that they're losing money, but won't show their books and the league is making more money than ever. The owners claim that they have to pay for huge stadiums, but when in the history of labor negotiations have the workers been forced to chip in to pay for the factories? The rookie wage scale seems to be the only thing both sides can agree to.
I'm betting there is some PR involved in this move. Each side knows that every move they make will get reported by the sports media. This was breaking news on Sportscenter. There is still a few weeks left until the deal expires. So I think each side will do stuff like this to try and maneuver themselves into a better bargaining position until the 11th hour. If the owners are dead set on two more games they are going to have to make concessions to the players because I would think the players have studies that show it could shorten their careers and thus lessen their earning power. I bet this is part of the reason they are allegedly so far apart on money.
You're probably right. I just don't understand how the owners think that the players will agree to work more for less money. I mean, who would agree to that?
There can't be unless both sides agree to it. That's why it's called "Collective" bargaining. The owners and players have to agree to terms, including length.
Once you forget about this being the NFL, it's pretty clear in terms of negotations. I've seen the process go on literally hundreds of time. Right now, there is no pressure on either side to talk or get a deal done. There is no gain for either side, as neither side has any leverage at all. 'Specially since the CBA hasn't expired. When the draft is complete, the clock starts ticking. The players gain leverage as the season nears, and begins. It's a question if they can hold out that long (Into the season) Now, as it's a lockout, legally, the owners cannot allow any member of the NFLPA to play football, so any games they decide to be put on, must be played purely by replacement players. Will we see that again? Who knows? What's clear right now is there is absolutely no motivation for either side to meet.
So currently it's like this on paper...60 percent of 8,000,000,000 = 4,800,000,000 and 40 percent of 8,000,000,000 = 3,200,000,000. So the players are up 1 billion 600 million. So after the owners take their billion, they're still down 600 million to the players, and they pay current players health care. Although I do think this shows greed on all parties, I don't blame the owners for wanting to make more than the players. I know if I own something that is union run, I would not settle for a 40 percent cut of the profits plus have to go out and get their stadiums (no matter how they get them funded), and pay health care........
The younger players are the only ones who stand to make less on an individual basis though. And this part seems to be the only thing both sides agree upon.
Yeah the last work stoppage was in 1987 - 24 years ago. Since then its actually not been that between the two. Threats only, but they always worked it out. This time I am not sure it will be resolved anytime soon.
why not make a longer deal, so they dont have to go through this arguing **** every few years? they need to quit being little *****es and realize who controls their income.
Let them get cocky, they can be replaced by college football. If they would actually get a real playoff even better.
Gardenhead, with all due respect, but that is not quite right. The owners are NOT losing money, its just that they are not making as large a profit as they used to make, and the expenses of owning the teams are going up much faster than revenues are expanding. But by no means are the NFL owners losing money. They make insane profits, its just not as big as they want.
I heard also they want to place a tag or an amount a rookies can get payed can someone confirm that ?
Welcome to the IT world. We have been doing it for years. We never agreed to it... but like most gold rushes, the market filled with a ton of people training for it (most not worth a damn) which drove our pay down and pushed our hours longer to meet business demands. You either suck it up or tried to get a job in a market over-run with "qualified" people. I am one of the lucky ones. I haven't been pushed into this too badly. Sure I put in a lot of hours normally but I am compensated because of the field the company I work for is in. My knowledge in their industry coupled with my Architecture/Analysis/Programming knowledge has saved me from some of it. I can see how many others are treated in my organization though and it's painful to see.
Not sure exactly how much a rookie scale has been involved in the negotiations for this deal but IMO it is long overdue.
The owners were smart by locking up big TV contracts that are to be paid wether games are played or not. It's pretty certain that they want to lock the players out and will only agree to something the is totally in their favor. Dumb? Well, I think us fans would agree but they're not stupid, that's for sure.
Because neither side wants a long term deal. It doesn't do anyone any good. Changing ecenomics and "size of the pie" issues will come up, and, the sooner that either side can adress it and maximize their share of the pie the better (as far as they are concerned). Understand a key component in this equasion; They don't care about you, or me, or any other fan. They know, no matter what we say or do, we will not stop watching the NFL. We won't, and everyone on this board knows that they are right. I predict when they get the deal done (And they will) it will be a 3-4 year deal.
The rookie wage scale is something both sides agree on. The owners are locked in on an 18 game schedule and, with some give and take, will happen. The problem is they cannot get to those issues until they are at least in the same ballpark on how to split the financial pie. From all that I've seen and heard, I do believe that owners are entitled to more money off the top. We all know that everything, other than our salaries, have gone up substantially over the past 5 years. Another consideration would be stadium improvements or new stadiums, as local Gov't. funding has backed off. I don't know enough as to what that increase should be. As another poster mentioned, there is no urgency now to get a deal done, and I seriously doubt any deal will get done anytime soon. I'm already tired of this issue. IMO, I would put this in the hands of a mediator, agreed upon by both parties. Are ya listening Mr President?
I hear you loud and clear Southbeach. I'm gonna get right on it... . . . . . Pffffffffffft! . . . . . . . .
I dont trust the players union cat..He looks to me like he likes the camera a bit too much...just a first impression nothing concrete.
He knows that he's in the catbird seat right now. He will be until players start losing game checks. The owners will be able to function as the TV contract will pay them up front, so I think the owners aren't going to blink. The players will cave first. It's just a question of when.
Now the NFL is filing a formal complaint against the union...I just saw a video of him fighting for camera time, and smiling, wtf....Somethin is wrong with that cat, hes on a high horse..From his first interview ive ever seen of him, which was last year, in the wise words of the great Tony Montana.." I never liked that Piece of chit''..never trusted him''.
Just means more college ball, no more trying to work around my kids soccer schedule, more riding time, more family time & my lawn will look fantastic this year. There is more to life than this game.
I'm all for a strike. THe greed of both parties and all of professional sports is disgusting..... flat out disgusting. Prices of goods, housing and salaries are all changing based on economic factors yet those in the fantasy world of professional sports continue to demand yearly million dollar income increases, millions in TV contract increases, millions in increases from tickets and product sales. It's absurd. The fan in the end continues to get rear ended. Screw them all. I'm looking forward to college football and that's it next year.
In addition, those that side more with the players really get my ire up. If these guys really want to split all income from professional football 50-50 they can start incurring all costs associated with being a business owner as well. They can be billed for stadium rent (office space), equipment, uniforms, footballs, stadium upkeep, cost of retail product production, travel expenses, etc. etc. The players absurd demands are the biggest joke in all of this.
Without the players there wouldn't be money for stadium rent, equipment, uniforms, footballs stadium upkeep, cost of retail product, production, travel expenses, etc, etc,
The players are a workforce period. The product is the game itself. There are other people that can be brought in and throw a ball. As I said, if they want ownership then they can make payments to the cost of doing business just like owners do.
And I'm sure other people could be brought in to (do whatever it actually is of value the owners do for the game of football). I don't see the players lobbying for billion dollar stadiums. I'm sure they'd be just as happy playing in a stadium built in the 70s. This all comes down to the owners not having anyone to pay for their stadiums now that the taxpayer isn't doing it anymore.
