Ok, it's playoff time and the next month or so will be filled with lots of action and for the most part, competitive games. So, why does the NFL make me crazy?
Simply put, they have a great thing going and I have a sinking feeling they are about to ruin it. For those who may not know the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the NFL owners and the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) will end at the conclusion of this season. The owners have chosen to opt out two years early. So the 2010 season could be the last one before the owners lock out the players the following year meaning no football in 2011.
Now I'm no student of the Ouija board, Tarot cards, or Viking ruins, but I can see the storm clouds brewing. Both sides want more money. Owners want their piece of the revenue pie, especially owners like Jerry Jones who have footed the bill for huge new stadiums. They need to pay off their debt. Players, on the other hand, want their piece of the pie. The average length of an NFL player's career is about 3 years. Their aim is to make the most money they can while they physically can.
So here we have two sides that are "negotiating" but are pretty firm in their positions. Are they really that stubborn to take this to the point of a lockout? Yes, I think they are. It's like the Cold War between the U.S. and U.S.S.R. in the 1950s and 1960s. We put missiles in Europe and the Soviets in Cuba. We deployed missiles on the land, sea, and air and the Soviets responded by building missiles that could carry more nuclear warheads. It makes me crazy because both the players and the owners are not looking at the big picture. Both want to make money. Why not compromise for the good of the league, themselves, and the fans.
What do I see when I look at the big picture? I see the NFL taking in more revenue than the NBA and NHL combined. Over six billion dollars a year. I can remember as a child being so made and fed up at both players and teams during the NFL lockout some 20 years ago. All I cared about was football.
I also see the common man during an economic recession and at war who cannot possibly have empathy for either side if there is no football. Both sides are making millions while many hard working Americans are scraping to get by in their everyday life.
Lockouts may not drive away loyal fans (haven't baseball fans returned after lockouts and strikes?) but when fans are not watching games, they are not watching TV ads. Sponsors will not be happy. Stadiums will sit empty and both players and owners will have to dip into their bank accounts. Bills will still have to be paid by all.
Fans might look elsewhere for their sports such as in the NBA or MLB but let's be honest--in this century there are other things to do. Fans have movies, music, video games, and other entertainment at their fingertips to keep them occupied. The NFL does not have as much leverage as they might think over the attention and the dollar that the fan holds. Movie revenues are up, video game consoles are more popular than ever, satellite TV and cable provide a vast array of entertainment options.
Where might the NFL fan seek out their need for blood and violence? There is the quickly growing arena of mixed martial arts, dominated by the UFC. There are the blockbuster movies like Transformers that come out during the summer. Boxing, though still a niche sport, does attract good revenue for high profile fights during pay-per-views.
What else makes me crazy? If there is a lockout and no football in 2011 I along with countless other millions of fans will be back. Yes, I'll be mad and ticked off at both sides but I'll still sit down each Sunday and Monday to view games. It's my way to decompress from the grind of work. It's America's home-grown sport. We own it, we made it, and yes, most of the world could care less about it.
So, owners and players, sit down, talk, compromise. Save all of us a lot of angst and agree. Agree to disagree but agree to play the game.
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