When Scheftie is being told to take a month off and that the owners have no interest in making a deal, folks that Goose is in the Oven. Which means the period from now, until this is finally ironed out only grows in importance, as whom is signed now is not really subject to the new CBA if it ever arrives.
I'd really like to say that if ONE game were lost this next season due to this crap I'd stop watching football, but I can't lie to myself. If even half the season gets lost because of these millionaire/billionaire babies I'll be the first one tuning into watch the first game played. Damn you football gods... Both sides have legitimate gripes. However, both sides seem to want to have their cake and eat it too. These clowns really need some perspective and should realize that they are arguing PENNY's compared to what their profit/income is or can be.
NFL's ownership hired the guy who ran the NHL's owners campaign to break the union, they have no interest in negotiating they want to crush the NFLPA first, which means we are in for a very long labor fight in the NFL. Which is why I'm glad I also like the CFL and it starts up in July and runs through November, and they make their games available online..for free...let the NFL bicker I'll be watching football while they figure it out.
Do you have any links to where you watch the CFL? I may have to get my football fix if this lockout lasts into the season.
I hope so. I've pretty much given in to the fact that this offseason will suck, but if the first game starts on time I'l be thrilled. I just can't but help to believe that even though these guys are acting like children they have to be able to see that they will hurt the popularity of the sport. And right now nothing is more popular than NFL football.
Espn3 had every game last season in HD. Montreal has won 2 straight Gray Cups and their HC Trestman will wind up coaching a team in the NFL. In the CFL the East is kind of the weaker division, in the West most of the CFL to NFL prospects play. The NFL is putting the NFLPA into a situation where there is no room to negotiate, the Owners have an advantage in cash and they intend to use it to break the union who for their part are really poorly prepared for a lockout/forced strike. The way this works is the Owners can claim an impasse' and then impose their last offer on the players union, if they do not like the terms then a strike will be voted on which will mean the offseason is then officially called off while a settlement is worked out..but the owners do not want a settlement per se, they want their terms imposed. The really interesting thing to watch is how many big named NCAA UDFA's who head to the CFL.
Didnt something like this happen to the nhl and at the end they lost out as they lost alot of Fans and ratings ?
Yep, no Stanley Cup either, at the end of it they installed a Hard Cap and if any player was above it they voided their contract and made them a FA who was only able to sign for less money somewhere else. If a guy was making 15 million per yr, they were a FA who could only sign for 10 elsewhere.
I bet Directv loves this. Im sure their NFL Sunday Ticket subscribers are lined up waiting to renew. They are gonna lose hundreds of millions of dollars if there is no football season.
I think the NFLPA will cave, the players really aren't in a great position, they know they have maybe 4-6 years if they are lucky (most of them) to make enough money to live the rest of their lives. Most of them have big expenses, families to take care of and not much to fall back on. Kind of heartless for the owners, most of whom are extreme millionaires or billionaires to put them over the barrel but I'd say the NFLPA caves and gives them most if not everything they want. The players have more to lose than the owners, fans will come back to the NFL this isn't hockey, fan backlash won't last more than a season and I think their TV deals still pay off in the long run even if the season is wasted.
Yes, I don't think the NHL has lost fans and ratings though. Fans and ratings are down throughout the US because the NHL is trying to play the game in non traditional markets that don't give a damn about hockey. For example, Florida, Atlanta, Arizona... If anything IMO, the NHL has benefited greatly from their missed time due to a CBA dispute. The league got what it needed, which was a salary cap. IMO every sport needs one. It keeps the parity in the league and the competition. It helps the weaker teams rebuild quicker. Hell, look at the blackhawks winning the cup last year, having to dump alot of big stars shortly there after due to the cap. Where did those guys end up? Some in Toronto (who needed help), one in Atlanta (desperate for talent). It's good for the game. It was good for hockey IMO. Aside from the poorly managed teams in the NHL, the league has benefited greatly from it IMO. The sad thing about the NFL situation IMO, is that the owners simply don't care if there is a season, they know eventually it will come back, and they are banking on the fans coming back. If they can already stick it to the fans with high prices on tickets, concessions, and merchandise they way they do now, they know you'll be back regardless. To sweeten the deal they might even drop a few prices by a dollar or so. It's ridiculous, the whole situation really. They simply don't care though, either side really IMO. There's waiting lists for tickets in every NFL city I believe, (except maybe Jacksonville and Buffalo ), so if you drop your tickets, they dont care, they know someone who's been waiting for the chance to get them for over a year will jump right on it. The income will always be there for both sides, so I'd expect them to be a stubborn as they want, for as long as they want.
