NFLPA discusses possibility of NFL lockout
In a hundred days the collective bargaining agreement expires and the league and the players association are at present far from coming to an agreement. As the deadline approaches, a lockout is becoming a very real possibility and it’s not just the league,
the players and the fans, who should be concerned.
While there has been some success, there are still major differences between the owners and the players association that need to be worked out in a hurry to avoid a lockout. One of the issues is the division of revenue.
The league has decided to stretch the regular season to 18 games. The players association had shown reservations about the move and compensation for players for the added games but have at least now said that the change could be viable.
DeMaurice Smith, the players association chief would seek substantial compensation from the owners to get the players to play the extended season. A two game increase on the surface of it does not seem all that much but considering that the two games would
come after an entire season of physically intense football, the two games might as well have been 10. It would take more than just two games worth of added pay to get the players associations to sign off on an 18 game season.
The league is adamant about the 18 game season. The trick now is to come up with a compromise that works for both the league and the players. That would include significantly reduced off-season workload and added benefits. The NFLPA also wants less intense
contact during training camps and practices. The players association also wants to place penalties on coaches, who try to push players too far in the off season and two additional roster spots to compensate for the additional stress on players.
The players association has asked for a more detailed account of injuries in the season to get a clearer picture of the effects an extended season would have.
How much of that the league would consent to is still an unanswered question. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said that not enough progress has been made during the negotiations.
There is also quite a bit of mistrust between the two sides. The NFLPA has been sending letters to political figures carrying allegations against the league. The letters alleged that the owners are trying to cancel the 2011 season and force a lockout.
In those letters the players associations also highlighted the significant economic cost of a lockout. Kevin Mawae, president of the NFLPA said that a lockout would cost Atlanta over $160 million in lost revenue. He said that the attempt by owners to force
a lockout would leave countless businesses and stadium workers in a tough financial situation.
The owners have collected almost $4 billion dollars in guaranteed payments which would stand even if the 2011 season is cancelled. The only losers would be the players and the all the businesses associated with football and of course the fans.
The letters are part of the effort by the players association to get government officials on their side. The economic effects of a lockout are unmistakable and bringing those costs to the attention of high ranking officials could put pressure on the owners.
The letter also emphasized how football has continued to generate billions of dollars in revenue and provided livelihood to thousands of workers despite the current state of the economy.
At the end of the day it is all about the money. The owners want to severely cut the players’ percentage of revenues, which currently stands at just under 60 percent. The league has proposed a rookie wage scale and wants, the players association wants guarantees
that the savings from it would go back into the pool for players and not the owners.
NFL spokesman, George Atallah alleged that the owners are asking too much from the players associations without giving back enough to the players. The NFLPA says that it is being pushed into a corner. There is a lot of ground that still needs to be covered
to avoid a lockout.
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