Why Sadly a Strike is Coming to the NFL

Over the weekend, there was a faint glimpse of hope. After the two heads at the forefront of the National Football League labor dispute got together they agreed to get together and negotiate on Saturday. Could it be that the rhetoric might finally stop and some honest to goodness discussions might take place? One could delightfully wish that smarter minds might be prevailing.

Then today arrived and the positive moment probably went down the drain with the bath water. Special Master Stephen Burbank ruled on a case today brought by the Union against the NFL claiming that their 2011 Television deal was structured such that owners would still get paid during a lockout, while reducing the amount of money they would have had to share with the players during other seasons. Burbank ruled for the Union, sort of.

The Union won, but did not get the 60 million they asked for in damages (they were awarded six million). The NFL was also not instructed as the union has asked, for the remaining money be put into an escrow account till after the strike. So with that suit clarified, you might think we could get down to business. Nope, both sides had to come out swinging, claiming victory for their side. So much for good will.

So what we have now is a member from each side of the table putting an open letter to the public available to read on the ESPN.com website. Each side tells you why they are right. From the owners side, rookies make too much money and the current deal unjustly favors the players. The players on the other hand say whats wrong with the current deal. Extend it and we will continue to negotiate.

As we head to this weekend bargaining session then, where once there was hope, well not much exists right now. The union is already announcing they are filing an appeal to have more of that TV contract money set aside. Yep, that is sure to make the owners want to negotiate an stop a lockout. You would hope that some goodwill would prevail. However people are missing a key point here.

Gene Upshaw is dead. Paul Taglibue has retired. Those two men, for the differences that they shared about how things should be done, understood that the game of football was at its highest peak when there was talk of a strike the last time. Much like baseball went down after their strike debacle, Football knew they had to keep their stranglehold on the American public. In a nutshell, they put the game first.

Now we have Mr. DeMaurice Smith who has compared this upcoming struggle as going to war. In anytime that analogy was pretty stupid, but given the state of the world right now, it borders on one of the great stupid comments of all time. The letters on the ESPN seem to be the exact opposite on just about everything. Owners say rookie wage scale with money taken from rookies going to older and retired players. Players say stay with old system for now and that we will take the rookie wage scale if you give it to the older players. Someone is lying. This is the way we choose to start negotiations?

Bottom line is negotiations take two to tango. They are also give and take, meaning each side has to meet in the middle and give in on some things in exchange for others. That is the way that differences are ironed out. Rookies should in no way be making more money then veterans having never played a down in the league. Retired players should not be struggling to survive on tiny pensions. Players say no eighteen game seasons due to injury, yet to play two extra games the proposal would eliminate two preseason games. That does not even take into account how many dirty hits by the players are causing those injury numbers to rise.

In the end, this lockout or strike will have a devastating effect on the fans and workers alike. Millionaire players and owners are going to walkout, complaining they are not getting enough money. The stadium workers on the other hand who count on that money to live, well they will sit home with nothing. Just as bad is that for millions of fans there will be nothing to watch. The game and its popularity will suffer and what will happen? Instead of working to stop it, Smith and Goodell will be pointing fingers and saying, "It's your fault". I am afraid it is going to be a long year.

Sources: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=6081062

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