Maybe it’s the radiation in our milk supply short-circuiting our indignation switches, or it could just be a chronic case of American Idol-ness, but there doesn’t seem to be a whole lot that gets people riled up these days.
Government shutdown? We’re better off without those clowns. Chaos in the Middle East? Wake me up when it gets here. Earthquakes in Japan? Been there, done that. A “military excursion” in Libya? What’s one more war? No NFL football in 2011?
Now you’ve got Americans’ attention.
In this year of squabbles between employers and unions, the No Fun League simply couldn’t be left out. After just a few weeks of actual negotiations on a new collective bargaining agreement between owners and players, the NFL Players’ Association (NFLPA) decertified as a union on March 11, giving up its right to bargain, opting instead to mediate in federal court.
In response, NFL owners locked out the players, meaning they can’t talk to coaches, teams can’t trade or sign players, and ESPN’s investigative wiz Adam Schefter has months of job security ahead of him.
It’s a sad state of affairs. If Michael Vick wants to use the Eagles’ elliptical bike, too bad, because players have literally been locked out of their team’s training facilities—though they are being paid. It’s good work, if you can get it.
To bring the athletes back on the field where they belong, the players—represented by New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, the Indianapolis Colts’ Payton Manning, and New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees—filed an antitrust lawsuit against the NFL in federal court. On April 11, U.S. District Court Judge Susan Nelson imposed a forced mediation between owners and the players, meaning they’ll have to bargain under the watchful eyes of Chief Magistrate Judge Arthur Boylan. It’s like a daycare time-out for a bunch of rich, grown men, some of whom undoubtedly smoke fine cigars before and after nappy time.
Players are also seeking an injunction to end the lockout, but it will take a while for Judge Nelson to grant it. In the meantime, the court-ordered talks will go on, and so far, both sides are reporting a stalemate. According to the owners, they’ve offered the players $20 billion over the next four years, with a promise they won’t cut any player’s pay. The players are saying no dice.
The league has been down this road before—as recently as 1989, in fact, when the players’ union decertified and a federal judge blocked an owner’s attempt to lock out the players. The last successful NFL player lockout happened in 1987. Players went on strike for 24 days, resulting in a season shortened by one game. Teams fielded replacement players and several weeks were played with “scabs”—replacement players plucked from preseason developmental squads. Faced with the reality of losing more and more money each week, and giving up their jobs to guys portrayed later by Keanu Reeves, the real players eventually returned to work without a collective bargaining agreement.
The episode changed the NFL forever. The players won an antitrust suit and the right to free agency, while owners instituted the salary cap. The settlement was finally approved in 1993 and renewed several times. However, in 2008, the owners decided to opt out and played last season without a collective bargaining agreement or a salary cap.
But now it’s time to pay the piper, and if the two sides can’t come to terms on a new agreement by summer’s end, actual NFL games—even the season—could be in jeopardy.
So what’s all the fighting about? Well, the most divisive issue of this latest impasse revolves around the owners’ take of the league’s revenue pool, a haul of about $9 billion a year. The owners, citing the struggling economy and the rising cost of operating their state-of-the-art stadiums, want to bump their cut from $1 billion to about $2.5 billion, meaning the players will get roughly 18 percent less money. The players also want a 50-50 equal split in total revenue. That seems fair, but the owners are only offering a 51-49 deal. All this bickering for a measly percent? Well, there’s more.
NFL owners are also pushing to magically transform two preseason games into regular season games, bringing the total number of games that actually count to 18. The move would potentially make millions for both sides, but the players feel an extended season would result in more injuries and shortened careers. So, in simplest terms, NFL owners want NFL players to play more and make less. The prospect would make any red-blooded worker balk at the offering.
Yes, it’s hard to feel sorry for a bunch of billionaires and millionaires who are after more scratch, but the people who really get hurt in a lockout are the rank-and-file league employees, lower-level players, and, of course, the fans. Owners are already receiving letters from irate customers rescinding their season ticket purchases, while college players sit around wondering how the lockout will affect the NFL Draft and their future earnings.
The players and owners still have time on their side to get their game on, but much like the aftermath of the 2004 National Hockey League lockout, the league will either have to hope fans have short memories or prepare to invest in a slick PR campaign to smooth over the animosity that’s sure to linger. Free hot dogs and soda couldn’t hurt either.
But what do I know? I’m just a bum. And that’s my view from the bleachers.
The Bleacher Bum locks himself out of his apartment on a regular basis. On purpose. Contact him at jthomas@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Apr 21-28, 2011.