I know it sounds crazy to say, but a work stoppage for the NFL may be the best thing for the game. Sure, we all love fantasy football, the Super Bowl, etc etc but if you pay attention to the business side of things you’ll see that players association (NFLPA) is becoming more out of tune with the owners as each day passes by.
With recent news of the owners voting to opt out the current agreement, the league is staring at a strike in the next 2-3 years. That seems like a lot of time to work out a new deal but there’s so many issues that come to mind when you’re talking about what needs to be fixed:
- Gene Upshaw needs to be booted as the executive director for the NFLPA. He maintains that the union has gained a lot during his tenure but I’m not so sure about that.
- Rookie contracts and guaranteed money are through the roof these days. Sure that’s great for players entering the league but what about stars who are seeking their 2nd and 3rd contracts? Urlacher, Ocho Cinco, Plaxico, etc. Most of these guys are making pennies compared to the Alex Smiths, Brady Quinns, and Matt Ryans of the world. It’s a joke and more importantly a shame!
- The salary cap is a mess. 2010 could possibly be an uncapped year if no agreement is in place but I’m certain the owners would lockout the players before this occurred.
...and that’s just a snippet of what needs to be sorted out. Personally, I’ve seen sports (MLB, NBA, NHL) all go through lockouts at times in which the sport was very popular. Every single time the leagues made changes and fans were asked to embrace the game again. It’s not an overnight process but as each league is now a few years out of their last work stoppage I think it’s safe to say that in all cases it was worth it in the long run.
MLB is thriving, so is the NBA, and the NHL is especially fun to watch after they “changed the game.” I know we all love the NFL dearly just the way it is but I think there is definitely room for change and I myself will welcome it!
-bB
Lockout I really hate work stoppages, but we all end up coming back to our sports as if nothing happened. I think you might have something here, because I think some things need to be put in check. Why the owners signed off on this CBA is beyond me, but there is a lot of inequities among the teams. Should the players be blamed or be locked out? I don’t think so…..