Congratulations to the NFL (Owners) and Players Association...I mean trade union...for figuring out a way to share at least $9 billion ($9B) annually. I say 'at least' because in a few years the TV deals will expire and new richer ones will be negotiated. Experts...whomever they are...say that the nine billion number may be more like 13-15 billion. Holy crap.
Now that the lockout is over, who won and who lost?
The Winners
The Owners – One of their overall goals was to keep the players' share of the revenue under 50%. At one point the players thought 49% of the revenue was a real possibility for themselves, but in the end, the players settled for 48%. Players received other benefits that brought the number down to 48%. Also, now that everyone's giddy about football being back, nobody seems to remember that it was the owners who (in 2008) opted out of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) that was just two years old and put us in the current situation.
The Players – Grown men are going to be paid a lot of money to continue playing a game. Yes, it's more than just a game because of the entertainment it brings to countless people, but when you cut out the fluff, it really is simply a game. Players also got to miss out on their spring organized training activities (OTAs). Like Allen Iverson, NFL players don't like to attend offseason practice....yes Allen, we're talking about practice (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGDBR2L5kzI <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGDBR2L5kzI> ). One final benefit the players acquired is guaranteed contracts for injury. Players who have remaining years on contracts who suffer career ending injuries are now guaranteed at least $1.M. Nice deal.
The Fans – We get uninterrupted professional football for the next ten years. Unlike the CBA of 2006, the CBA just agreed to has no opt out clause for either side. That's right, ten years of labor peace, with absolutely no mention of either the 8th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals or Judge Doty.
Retired Players – This one is missed by a lot of people. Over the next ten years of the CBA, retired players are going to be a paid a total of $945M in retiree benefits. One thing that I can't find good clarification on is who is paying this money? Yes, the NFL owes the players of yesteryear a great deal for helping build the game into what it is today, but isn't it the players who should be taking care of their own? Come on, without Archie Manning, there's definitely no Peyton or Eli...both on and off the field.
DeMaurice Smith – The Players brought in a labor lawyer to get a new deal done for them, and that's just what he did.
Robert Kraft (Patriots owner) – Numerous reporters have said it, and the Colts’ Center Jeff Saturday confirmed it, a deal would not have gotten done without Kraft’s work. When the CBA was falling apart, he was the driving force for working through all of the differences. That said, Kraft has been through too much lately. On top of the contentious negotiations, his wife of 48 years, Myra, lost her battle with cancer. Hate the Patriots as much as you want to, but Robert Kraft is one of the best owners in sports. He was before this summer’s saga, and he will continue to be going forward.
The Losers
Roger Goodell – Yes, it's only a few, but there have been some very vocal players preaching their dislike and distrust for the Commissioner. Unfortunately, the loudest, most outlandish voices are the ones that get microphones put in front of them because "they're always good for a quote." What's lost on me is that Commissioner Goodell is the head of all the owners. He represented all 32 owners though out the entire lockout. Yes, he's the overall face of the league, but the hatred shown towards the Commissioner should be pointed at all 32 owners.
The Players – A couple things come to mind here. The CBA starts this season with a salary cap number of $120M per team. While many teams will have to increase their 2010 payrolls to get to this amount, what makes this a loss for the players is that the salary cap number for 2009 (the last capped season) was $128M. (2010 had no salary cap.) Yes, the cap will increase in the years to come, but the players lost out on at least $8M per team. (‘At least’ because that was in 2009 money.) The other potential loss for the players is just a question from me right now. Why did the owners not want an opt out clause in this contract? Please don’t say that it was for the good of the fans. In my opinion, there is at least one thing in this contract that is very favorable to the owners, which they don’t want to have the players take away after just a few years.
Sal Paolantonio, Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen (and their counterparts at other tv networks, websites, newspapers, etc.) – This was supposed to be their offseason. At least they get a break now…oh wait…season’s about to start.
Rookies – Missing spring OTAs may be a good thing for veterans, but rookies need the extra snaps. I believe offensive rookies (especially the QBs) will have slower development this year than in years past, which is especially troubling because four of the top 12 picks in this spring’s draft were QBs. Also, a new rookie wage scale has been agreed to within the new CBA. This year’s number one pick Cam Newton can make $22M over four years, while last year’s number one pick Sam Bradford will receive a guaranteed $50M. Tough for some of these guys to make it on $22M, but it is over a 50% decrease. (At least the money previously spent on rookies will go to the veterans who’ve actually earned their money on the NFL playing field.)
All Other Professional Sports – This was supposed to be the time during the year that other leagues had their day in the sun, but the lockout was talked about on tv and on the radio every day this summer. Even when there were great sporting events to cover, the NFL loomed large.
The Fans – Finally, we lost too. We’ve gotten jerked around for the last 135 days, under constant threat that there would be no football. Also, who do you think gets to pay the $9B for the NFL to divvy up?
I have to admit that I’m kind of soured on football right now. Of course that may all disappear with fantasy football drafts and the kickoff to the season on September 7th.
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