DID YOU ALREADY THINK EVERYONE INVOLVED IN THE NFL LABOR NEGOTIATIONS WAS SELFISH? YOU AIN'T SEEN NOTHIN' YET
As expected talks between the NFLPA & league ownership fell apart today & the union has begun de-certification. I won't bore you with the 2+ hours of legaleze stuff I just finished reading, I'm certain I don't understand some of the possible steps & I know they're very hard to explain, just the way lawyers like it, you know, keeping us in the dark.
What the union hopes to accomplish by going the de-certification route is to block the owners desire to lockout the players. It would also allow them to sue the league as individuals, challenging the NFL's anti-trust status. Their plan is to have Peyton Manning, Tom Brady & Drew Brees file the first lawsuits, pitting three of the most high profile & most popular players against the owners. It's a good ploy if their de-certification is upheld in court. Oh there's going to be an avalanche of motions, hearing, suits, counter-suits & appeals. Once again, the lawyers will benefit the most, that's how our system works, that's how they set it up. I'm not cynical or anything.
What caused the talks to fold today was ownerships' refusal to show the union 10-years of audited financial statements. This part will absolutely make you nauseous, Most of the owners refused not because they don't want the players to know exactly what they're making, bottom line, they don't want other owners to know what they're making. Do these guys have massive egos or what?
It plays right into the players hands, it allowed them to begin the de-certification process & begin hammering the owners in the court of public opinion. As I've said before, I'm not on anyone's side, I'm equally pissed off at both the union & league ownership because they take us for granted. You need to know that, it's a fact, neither side gives a sh*t about the fans in the end, knowing when everything is finally settled, those sheep, er fans, will come back in droves, eager for see some football. Sadly, they're probably right, but like baseball, they could have underestimated their fans. In a very difficult economy, many fans struggle to set aside enough money to buy tickets, team gear or satellite packages. Watching a bunch of talented football players, many worth millions & 32 owners worth at least a billion dollars fight over the cash fans cough up to watch their favorite teams turns my stomach & I know I'm not alone.
If this turns into a ongoing legal circus with daily statements from lawyers on both sides, the NFL is going to hurt their brand, some people will look elsewhere for entertainment, at least for a while. Then you'll see the players & owners talk about their sincere resolve to "win the fans back" & "show them we have the best game" crapolla. Spare me, you knew that before this mess went this far, you knew you had the best, most popular game, but who gets "control" of that game is the game we're playing right now. That's what this is about. Jeez, if owner "A" is more concerned with keeping his balance sheet from owner "B" than he is showing those financial statements to the union, it tells you just how greedy/insecure/egotistic/paranoid these guys really are. Not all of them, but a percentage large enough to make things truly difficult. If both sides truly cared about the fans, they'd lower ticket prices, they'd lower concession prices, they'd lower the price of NFL Sunday Ticket. But they won't, these are charter members of the "Blood out of a Rock" Club. What do you need to feel like you're being taken for granted? Be an NFL fan usually will give you that feeling if you honestly think about it.
The players do risk life & limb, they do deserve better, but they do not deserve nearly everything. The owners buy into, if they have enough cash, a lifetime money machine. There is very little risk to their huge investment. If you own an NFL franchise that actually loses money, you should really be ashamed. With the TV money alone, it's almost impossible to lose money. Why do you think some owners don't want other owners seeing their books? They'll look like complete morons if their bottom lines aren't way in the black. Yes, there are idiots, who by the grace of God & their fathers, are currently owning NFL franchises. Most of them are very skilled business men, but a few are clueless. After 45 Super Bowls, why do you think there are 4 teams that have never been? Some teams, even from small media markets, who can consistently remain competitive while others have losing records for decades? So many teams constantly fighting blackouts? So many empty seats? On the other hand, there are plenty of players who are really concerned with winning a Super Bowl, it's more about the money, winning is secondary or even finishing third behind cash & staying healthy.
Screw 'em all, I'll cover the run-up to the draft & the draft itself plus some spring football. Beyond that, unless there is significant movement on either side, I'm not going to bother posting the daily word of the legal mouthpieces.
What the union hopes to accomplish by going the de-certification route is to block the owners desire to lockout the players. It would also allow them to sue the league as individuals, challenging the NFL's anti-trust status. Their plan is to have Peyton Manning, Tom Brady & Drew Brees file the first lawsuits, pitting three of the most high profile & most popular players against the owners. It's a good ploy if their de-certification is upheld in court. Oh there's going to be an avalanche of motions, hearing, suits, counter-suits & appeals. Once again, the lawyers will benefit the most, that's how our system works, that's how they set it up. I'm not cynical or anything.
What caused the talks to fold today was ownerships' refusal to show the union 10-years of audited financial statements. This part will absolutely make you nauseous, Most of the owners refused not because they don't want the players to know exactly what they're making, bottom line, they don't want other owners to know what they're making. Do these guys have massive egos or what?
It plays right into the players hands, it allowed them to begin the de-certification process & begin hammering the owners in the court of public opinion. As I've said before, I'm not on anyone's side, I'm equally pissed off at both the union & league ownership because they take us for granted. You need to know that, it's a fact, neither side gives a sh*t about the fans in the end, knowing when everything is finally settled, those sheep, er fans, will come back in droves, eager for see some football. Sadly, they're probably right, but like baseball, they could have underestimated their fans. In a very difficult economy, many fans struggle to set aside enough money to buy tickets, team gear or satellite packages. Watching a bunch of talented football players, many worth millions & 32 owners worth at least a billion dollars fight over the cash fans cough up to watch their favorite teams turns my stomach & I know I'm not alone.
If this turns into a ongoing legal circus with daily statements from lawyers on both sides, the NFL is going to hurt their brand, some people will look elsewhere for entertainment, at least for a while. Then you'll see the players & owners talk about their sincere resolve to "win the fans back" & "show them we have the best game" crapolla. Spare me, you knew that before this mess went this far, you knew you had the best, most popular game, but who gets "control" of that game is the game we're playing right now. That's what this is about. Jeez, if owner "A" is more concerned with keeping his balance sheet from owner "B" than he is showing those financial statements to the union, it tells you just how greedy/insecure/egotistic/paranoid these guys really are. Not all of them, but a percentage large enough to make things truly difficult. If both sides truly cared about the fans, they'd lower ticket prices, they'd lower concession prices, they'd lower the price of NFL Sunday Ticket. But they won't, these are charter members of the "Blood out of a Rock" Club. What do you need to feel like you're being taken for granted? Be an NFL fan usually will give you that feeling if you honestly think about it.
The players do risk life & limb, they do deserve better, but they do not deserve nearly everything. The owners buy into, if they have enough cash, a lifetime money machine. There is very little risk to their huge investment. If you own an NFL franchise that actually loses money, you should really be ashamed. With the TV money alone, it's almost impossible to lose money. Why do you think some owners don't want other owners seeing their books? They'll look like complete morons if their bottom lines aren't way in the black. Yes, there are idiots, who by the grace of God & their fathers, are currently owning NFL franchises. Most of them are very skilled business men, but a few are clueless. After 45 Super Bowls, why do you think there are 4 teams that have never been? Some teams, even from small media markets, who can consistently remain competitive while others have losing records for decades? So many teams constantly fighting blackouts? So many empty seats? On the other hand, there are plenty of players who are really concerned with winning a Super Bowl, it's more about the money, winning is secondary or even finishing third behind cash & staying healthy.
Screw 'em all, I'll cover the run-up to the draft & the draft itself plus some spring football. Beyond that, unless there is significant movement on either side, I'm not going to bother posting the daily word of the legal mouthpieces.
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