Winners and Losers in the NFL Now that Lockout Over

NFL football is coming to a TV screen near you. Four and one-half months after locking out the players, team owners unanimously (Oakland abstained) voted to approve a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) which the players agreed to ratify. In an effort to put the onus on the players to end the labor impasse the league initiated, management essentially told the players, “This is our last and best offer. Take it or leave it.” Of course, the players’ decision was easy. A no vote would have meant a loss of paychecks. Now that the stalemate is over, who are the winners and losers? While no one except the direct negotiators knows all the details in the fine print of the agreement, it’s safe to say all the parties to the agreement are winners. Start with the owners. They went into the negotiations seeking a number of key concessions, including an 18-game regular season schedule, a billion dollar “give-back” by the players, a lower percentage of league revenue to the players, ...