Here’s the latest on the headache…err…labor dispute between the NFLPA and the owners.
The owners began meeting Tuesday at the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport to vote whether to accept the latest proposal given them by the NFL Players Association. But to make it financially acceptable, they will have to agree first among themselves on expanded revenue sharing, just what Gene Upshaw, the union’s executive director, has been saying in more than a year’s worth of talks.
At this point, it’s not just a dispute between the players and the owners, it’s also a dispute between the low-revenue teams and high-revenue teams.
Low-revenue teams such as Buffalo, Cincinnati and Indianapolis say high-revenue teams — Dallas, Washington and Philadelphia, for instance — should contribute proportionately to the player pool because they can earn far more in nonfootball income such as advertising and local radio rights. Those high-revenue teams might contribute only 10 percent of their outside money compared with 50 percent or more for low-revenue teams.
In addition to advertising and local radio rights, big-market teams are able to demand more for naming rights and corporate luxury suites.
Man, I just want good football.
