NFL Player's Dilema: Contract Negotiations 101 and Twitter

It's pretty well known by now that there will be a lockout before the next National Football League season. The player's association is putting up a pretty dismal fight. Basic negotiations practices were thrown out the window with the bath water over a year ago. Reason? Tweeting.

When you're vying to win a contract, first, your proposal should be air-tight. Have something that the other side doesn't know about but can't live without at a reasonable and competitive price. The players are playing this game of chess with brains the size of microscopic organisms. They have played all of their cards over the past year by tweeting.

Do they think that the owner's lawyers aren't paying attention to the tweets? The player's lawyers have failed Contract Negotiations 101. The players are hurting themselves with their very public opinions. It's good that they have something to say, but do it in a secret room equipped with lasers, inertia anti listening devices and surrounded by an alligator pond.

Today's players have demoralized sports with their off the field antics and frolic. Just making the roster for the worst team in the league is a monumental accomplishment. Instead of appreciating their riches for a professional job well done, year-after-year they seem to find another way to turn people off on sports.

The owner's are successful businessmen & businesswomen who were poised to win this contest from the very outset. They're also ruthless and greedy and should be forced to share the wealth with the players. But when you force somebody to do something what you have is a whole lot of resentment and vengeful thinking. The players could have avoided this by knowing how to play the game off the field and at the negotiations table, and stop trying to be cute by 'tweeting' away their precious game plan.

So to all of you "alpha dogs" in sports: 'Tweeting' doesn't even sound very masculine. Good luck.