Will NFL players go on strike in 2011?
As Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports writes, there’s a very good chance that the NFL could see a work stoppage by 2011.
What’s the issue? Money. (Surprise, surprise).
Players now receive 59.5 percent of all money generated by the league. The salary cap for each team is now at $127 million, up from $85.5 million in 2006. Owners say they’re getting soaked. They want a rookie wage scale so they don’t have to hand $40 million in guaranteed money to unproven players. They want players to understand that stadium costs in the current economy are killing them.
The players want to see every detail to find out just how badly owners are getting hurt. Their rallying cry is “Open your books…” which they say more often than a seventh-grade English teacher.
And while Smith’s recent election will be used as an excuse for that, it’s clear the sides are currently more interested in digging in than rolling up their sleeves and finding resolution.
Meanwhile, checkpoints are being passed without pause. When the next league year begins in a little more than 10 months, there will be no salary cap in place. In 2006, prompted in part by a fear of a no-cap 2007, the two sides worked furiously to get the new deal done.
But the urgency isn’t there this time. It’s a staring contest. And while both sides will try to curry the favor of fans — Smith has already shown a penchant for talking about the stadium workers who’ll be impacted by a lockout — neither side is going to get much sympathy.
It never ceases to amaze me how greedy everyone is in professional sports. The owners are making millions of dollars off the players, yet they don’t want to give them a cent more than they have to. And the players are making millions of dollars, yet want more regardless of if they perform well or not. It’s a vicious cycle and one that doesn’t make sense outside of the sports realm.
Something that has always been ironic to me about the NFL is that players always seem to perform their best when money is on the line (i.e. during their contract years). Then once they get paid, their play often drops off immensely, so in essence, owners get the best out of players on the cheap and often a lackluster effort from them when they’re most expensive. (I should also note that not all players are like this.)
But getting back on topic, could you image the backlash the NFL will receive from fans if the players go on strike? How about the millions of dollars oddsmakers and sports books would lose without any NFL played for a year? I shudder to think about the absolute hell that would ensue.
THIS IS WHY MORE AND MORE PEOPLE LIKE MYSELF ARE TUNING INTO COLLEGE FOOTBALL AND STRAYING FROM THE GREEDY NFL. THE PLAYERS AND ALL OF THESE MILLIONAIRES FIGHTING SURE TURNS AN AVERAGE JOE LIKE ME OFF, IT MAKES ME SICK. I WOULD GLADLY SETTLE FOR 1% OF WHAT THEY ARE FIGHTING OVER!! THE GAME ITSELF AND SPORTSMANSHIP GETS LOST IN ALL THIS GREED, TRAGIC!
I can’t agree more with Big D, except I’d like to add….the owners are getting soaked! give me a break, thurs nite games (now sat games too) that u have to subscribe to the NFL network for more money, tickets to one NFL game for one person costs more that health care for a family for an entire month, and if u don’t spend ur family’s health care money….they black u out! I’ll tell ya who’s getting soaked are the fans!
Yeah, because there’s no greed in college football. I mean, reading the list of bowls with all their sponsorships sounds more like a nascar schedule than college football. And why do you think we now have 3 weeks of bowl games? Greed. If anything, colleges and the NCAA are 100x more greedy and corrupt than the NFL ever thought of being. Don’t fool yourselves.
Make that MEANINGLESS bowl games…and why? because of greed…
Please do awat with the NFL especially after seeing what I saw on the early morning news. NFL players to go on strike. Well, I hope the over paid jokes do and with it their multi million dollar jobs go out the door too. Most of these players are thugs from the streets anyhow. Look at their hair, their attitude, the way the talk; if they know how. IMHO the NFL is a ban of overpaid worthless jokers whom I put in the same class as pimps, rappers and gang-banger. I really hope they do strike and the super bowl is canceled. Then we can hire all new players for about $250K a year with no retirement or benefits like the rest of us.
It’s time to save your money and put the NFL and AFL out of business and out to pasture for good. These dudes are overpaid by a long shot. Most are morons who would have never made it through college if it wasn’t for throwing a little ball around and being backed by money making corporated America. These people serve no purpose in society what so ever. They aren’t needed now and they’ll never be needed.
This is the problem with America…I am an average Joe also..I am also a huge NFL and NCAA football fan..Everyone of you who call the players overpaid and greedy and gangbangers you are being a cynical jealous cry baby…Look, the football at any level is what gets me from Monday to the weekend..So I thank the NFL for that..Just because you can’t throw a ball or run around a defense or tackle you have to get all bitter just because your mad about your 9-5.. If you have any kind of sanity left in your head then i challenge you to put on some pads and get chased around where 11 men that are bigger then anyone you see every day are trying to kill you..And dont say they dont…look at Pat White..Hes prolly more close in size to us Joes…If you where taking hits like that wouldnt you want a bigger salary..I think you would…If on Monday morning you woke up in pain and knew that in less then a week you where gonna have to take a beating again, wouldnt you walk around and try to have a little more swag or how ever you think their attitudes are…So really they can ask for as much money as WE the fans are willing to give…and shame on us for being so bitter….Thank you NFL
Are they forgetting that the fans pay their salaries in the overall scheme of things?
If these whining overpaid egotistical babies go out on strike they will be losing fans same way.
My family will never again watch a pro football game
and many people I know feel the way.
I have not watched a pro baseball game since they went on strike the last time.
I have found other things to entertain me. I can and will easily do the same to the NFL.
I think there will be a lot of empty seats in the stadiums and TV ratings will also drop.
I personally hope they go Belly Up if they do go on strike.
They can send there jobs overseas too.
I’d like to suggest that the fans are the real crybabies… The NFL is a BUSINESS where owners, players and management are all trying to make money by selling their product to fans while trying to maximize profit. Why all the jealousy? Nobody is forcing you to follow a team, to buy tickets, merchandise, NFL network subscriptions and whatnot. If you dont like it then find another hobby.