Comments on: Will NFL players go on strike in 2011?

By: Magnolia

Magnolia — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 11:46:21 +0000

The union mentality…Unionism eventually destroys everything it touches. That is why manufacturing got fed up back in the early 1980s, and started moving their production overseas, leaving America nothing but a low-pay “service” industry nation that makes nothing. In the end, what did the unions do for all those workers who faithfully paid dues every paycheck? So the unions focused on other industries to make up for their lost manufacturing earnings: The nation’s school system, public sector jobs (federal, state and county workers, like they worked in hazardous jobs and needed protection), and sports teams. How is that working for everyone? America now ranks at something like #30 in the world in education (it was #1 in my day, 20 years ago); our federal, state and local governments are broke because of union pay and pensions (higher than the private sector); and the sports players whine and strike because they have lost sight of where their loyalty should be directed — to the fans and the owners, those who have provided the money and the means to give them the players their shot at stardom. So sad. Unions have and will destroy all in their grab for power. History repeats itself.

By: Ivan

Ivan — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 21:53:33 +0000

Hmmm. I think we should give the players a little more slack. Football is unbelievably punishing. These guys have been sacrificing thier bodies for years without any compensation. During high school and college they are getting paid jack. Once they make it to the NFL, the average career is 6 years (assuming that you make the starting roster) and they make a median income of just under $1,000,000 (taking out the huge contracts of the top players). Of that, uncle sam takes 35%. In this country, we should compensate top athletes for entertaining us as they do. I have a lot less sympathy for the owners who are typically multi-millionaires themselves. I live in Atlanta. Arthur Blank, owner of the Falcons, is worth 1.3 billion with a “B”. So sad if he is bitching about how expensive it is to pay Matt Ryan and the rest of the team. I watch the Falcons play because I like watching Matt Ryan and the team kick butt. Let me tell you how much I watched the Falcons when the Smith’s owned the team. The NFL is a free market system. If you can’t make money, go do something else.

By: Cassie

Cassie — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 02:49:12 +0000

I work at a nfl stadium as a bartender. All the people that work there need the income we make during the season. They are taking much needed money out of our pockets. How about they reimburse all of us for our lost wages? How about thinking of the common person for once instead of how am I going to buy my 3rd house?

By: Rick

Rick — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 04:17:08 +0000

Should the lawyers feed on the cities for a Class Action Suit if this happens? Seems to me the taxpayers foot a lot of the bill for the stadiums through the city leaders rules/encouragement/salesmanship as,,,, the stadiums will bring $ into the city and make the cities and its businesses more money and profit. Well, now that the cities and their businesses will certainly take a lose, seems like breach of owner and team player responsibility to me.

By: Ben_Waitin

Ben_Waitin — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 02:43:56 +0000

Here is the solution – plain and simple. The argument is over $1 billion. Fine. Settle for HALF – $500 million. Of that $500 million, $250 million goes to the players (wait, before reacting). The other $250 million goes to the FANS, in the form of ticket price reductions, on a sliding scale.

If you take the $500 million and divide it up by 32 teams, that’s $15.625 million per team. Divide that in half, and each team still has $7.8 million for salaries, etc., and $7.8 million to apply to reduced ticket prices – on a sliding scale. Make everyone happy at once. How are the owners happy? Simple. The average ticket for an NFL game is $76. If you applied that $7.8 million to the 8 home games each team sees (average 65,000 tickets per game), you would reduce the ticket price by 20% if applied in one year. Using the sliding scale, you could reduce ticket prices by 10, 5 & 5 per-cent over 3 years, making the average ticket price $68, $72 & $72 in the 3 respective years. This WILL result in MORE ticket sales – more concession revenue – and MORE money for the owners in the long run. Everyone wins.

By: John

John — Fri, 20 May 2011 22:07:26 +0000

Football has lost everything it once stood for.

I will dearly miss it, but glad to see it go. Overpaid players, owners and all of it is carried on the backs of the Fans and networks.

There really is no purity in sports now, it’s all about MORE money. Players want more money, seats cost more money. Food and drinks cost more money. Owners want more money, and ultimately the fans pay more money.

I hope the cycle now ends, and it begins a wave that ripples towards EVERY needy, greedy sport out there.

I am a fan. I was a fan, and I will dearly miss it for the next few years until it is all finally washed away and forgotten.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 02 May 2011 00:09:34 +0000

ther is an old saying that the more you get the more you want and that means they both are greedy.which one gets the most???. OBWfev