I’ve been in love for 33 years now. When I met her it was love at first sight. I remember it like it was yesterday. Picture this… Late fall…January ’78…. I see it for the very first time. It took my breath away; a beautiful blue star resting so effortlessly on a grey solid backdrop. The landscape was green, the markers white, the frame was rectangular elegance. I felt anxiety and peace all at once. I was mesmerized.
My love grew. What was once seasonal love became year round. Some may call it an obsession but it feels more like passion to me. In spring we draft plans, and in summer we camp. We have date night every week in the fall. In winter we plan super celebration:
Everything in its respective place, until its not.
The NFL has experienced labor pains. Most notably in’82 and ’87 so why am I feeling so out of sorts right now. How is this different? I guess because in those years it was clear who needed to apologize. The players needed free agency, and the owners needed a salary cap. I understood both, and both have made the game a much better product.
The labor strife in 2011 is much more murky. The owners opted out of a contract that paid the players 60% of revenue. The owners are asking for more of the pie, and he players are hell bent on never giving back a crumb. Stalemate.
In my opinion the real problem is a philosophical one. The owners know they don’t have a product without the players so in peacetime they allow the players to THINK that they are PARTNERS. The players have got so embolden by this that they actually THINK they are PARTNERS. Until this philosophical difference gets settled my love will always be at risk.
Let’s be clear. Owners and Players are not partners and will never be partners. If a fan goes into Texas Stadium and hurts him/herself then he/she will sue the Dallas Cowboys, the NFL, and Jerry Jones for damages. Tony Romo, and DeMarcus Ware will not be listed in the suit. They are not partners. They are employees. Also if players and owners were partner’s players would have a legal obligation to see the books. The fact that they have to ask to see the books answers the question emphatically. THEY ARE NOT PARTNERS!
I would never share the books with an employee. Why should NFL owners? I know the player rationale is this isn’t an ordinary job. They risk life and limb every time they strap it on, but they also get paid inordinate sums of money to do so. And in deference to Adrian Peterson, Rashard Mendenhall, and any other player that feels like the NFL is transporting them back to pre Jim Crow Slavery Time, players have options. They aren’t chattel.
In my lifetime the players have gone from making 35% of the revenue to 60%. Where does it stop? The number has to stop at some point doesn’t it? The owners liked it at 55%. The players like it at 60%. Let’s make it 57.5% and move on. Keep in mind this should only be Football Revenue not total revenue. Players should get 57.5% of the TV Deal, Gate, and Merchandise only. The owners paid hundreds of millions for the clubs. They should be able to sell naming rights, sponsorships, and create joint ventures without having to share that with their employee.
I wish the owners and players had signed a pre-nup. Their acrimony has put me in a precarious situation. My love is in jeopardy. The combine didn’t feel right. Free agency hasn’t started. The draft has been cheapened, and I know not what tomorrow brings. The thought of no NFL in the fall disappoints me greatly. Normally I’d just start dating someone else, and move on. On to the next one, but this is different, this is the NFL. I’ve dated the others, and they pale in comparison. Please don’t take my love away!
I HEART THE NFL!
My love grew. What was once seasonal love became year round. Some may call it an obsession but it feels more like passion to me. In spring we draft plans, and in summer we camp. We have date night every week in the fall. In winter we plan super celebration:
Everything in its respective place, until its not.
The NFL has experienced labor pains. Most notably in’82 and ’87 so why am I feeling so out of sorts right now. How is this different? I guess because in those years it was clear who needed to apologize. The players needed free agency, and the owners needed a salary cap. I understood both, and both have made the game a much better product.
The labor strife in 2011 is much more murky. The owners opted out of a contract that paid the players 60% of revenue. The owners are asking for more of the pie, and he players are hell bent on never giving back a crumb. Stalemate.
In my opinion the real problem is a philosophical one. The owners know they don’t have a product without the players so in peacetime they allow the players to THINK that they are PARTNERS. The players have got so embolden by this that they actually THINK they are PARTNERS. Until this philosophical difference gets settled my love will always be at risk.
Let’s be clear. Owners and Players are not partners and will never be partners. If a fan goes into Texas Stadium and hurts him/herself then he/she will sue the Dallas Cowboys, the NFL, and Jerry Jones for damages. Tony Romo, and DeMarcus Ware will not be listed in the suit. They are not partners. They are employees. Also if players and owners were partner’s players would have a legal obligation to see the books. The fact that they have to ask to see the books answers the question emphatically. THEY ARE NOT PARTNERS!
I would never share the books with an employee. Why should NFL owners? I know the player rationale is this isn’t an ordinary job. They risk life and limb every time they strap it on, but they also get paid inordinate sums of money to do so. And in deference to Adrian Peterson, Rashard Mendenhall, and any other player that feels like the NFL is transporting them back to pre Jim Crow Slavery Time, players have options. They aren’t chattel.
In my lifetime the players have gone from making 35% of the revenue to 60%. Where does it stop? The number has to stop at some point doesn’t it? The owners liked it at 55%. The players like it at 60%. Let’s make it 57.5% and move on. Keep in mind this should only be Football Revenue not total revenue. Players should get 57.5% of the TV Deal, Gate, and Merchandise only. The owners paid hundreds of millions for the clubs. They should be able to sell naming rights, sponsorships, and create joint ventures without having to share that with their employee.
I wish the owners and players had signed a pre-nup. Their acrimony has put me in a precarious situation. My love is in jeopardy. The combine didn’t feel right. Free agency hasn’t started. The draft has been cheapened, and I know not what tomorrow brings. The thought of no NFL in the fall disappoints me greatly. Normally I’d just start dating someone else, and move on. On to the next one, but this is different, this is the NFL. I’ve dated the others, and they pale in comparison. Please don’t take my love away!
I HEART THE NFL!
