WSJ chips in with a succinct piece on lockout

[TL24x7]

LINK

Check out this chart below...

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[Jeremiah W]

Good read.

I wonder why the salary cap has continued to rise if profits have leveled off when it is tied directly to a percentage of the profit not a set amount.

It would be one thing if the owners had to pay the players a set amount of gauranteed money every year, but it has to be a pretty tough sell to convince the players that the system is broken.

[NFLLockout]

It would be one thing if the owners had to pay the players a set amount of guaranteed money every year, but it has to be a pretty tough sell to convince the players that the system is broken.

It's kind of hard to convince anybody the system is broken when all evidence (ie ridiculously big TV contracts/ratings) points to success and you won't open your books. Even Pats owner Robert Kraft is saying the NFL is an "awesome business." If the owners simply opened their books and proved the business model was failing, we'd be one step closer to avoiding a lockout.

Here's a solid Wash Post article by Jay Rockefeller about why the owners should open their books. Thought you guys would enjoy it.

[Mista T]

It's kind of hard to convince anybody the system is broken when all evidence (ie ridiculously big TV contracts/ratings) points to success and you won't open your books.

What privately held companies open their books to their employees? This argument is totally bogus. Just NFLPA propaganda that a fan with half a brain can see through. The players could take Green Bay's books, multiply by 32, and get a reasonably good idea.

btw: you came here a few weeks ago to try to solicit signatures to a pro-union on-line petition, now you follow up with this tripe? Are you Demarus Smith? Or one of his under-capos?

I'll tell you who I am: a season ticket holder who has seen tickets shoot up from $45 to $85 since our stadium opened in 1998. I place the blame on this factoid primarily on the greedy NFLPA. I would like to see the NFLPA take a very hard line, even lose the exhibition season (BFD) and a few early season games, if it results in the union getting busted.


How about you, Mr 3 post "NFLLockout"? Do you own season tickets and pay through the nose? Are you a player? Or are you one of Smith's union thugs?

[Raveninwoodlawn]

What privately held companies open their books to their employees? This argument is totally bogus. Just NFLPA propaganda that a fan with half a brain can see through. The players could take Green Bay's books, multiply by 32, and get a reasonably good idea.

I totally agree with this.

If the CEO of my company tells everybody that hey...the economy has hurt us hard and we are going to have to make everybody take a percentage pay reduction, guess what...we have to take it.

I can't demand that he open his books to prove to me that he needs to do so.

You have a multi billion dollar companies here...having a profit of $10-20 million is a joke at that level.

I get that the players don't want to be railroaded here, but professional athletes and other certain entertainers are the only people who have not felt this economic crunch...there are people out there worrying about how they will be able to afford the mortgage on small 2 bedroom homes, and these players have seen nothing but their salaries increase almost 50% since this deal was signed in 06.

I'm sorry, cry me a river here for the players wanting the books open...who the hell do they think they are...they are EMPLOYEES. They have a right to not be taken advantage of, but in this case, giving back...like so many state and federal employees have had to do multiple times (furlough's) should be expected.

Just because the players can still go out to clubs and make it rain all night like they've always done does not mean that the economy never tanked.

[Jeremiah W]

Most private companies are not mega monopolies with anti trust exemptions and tax payer funded stadiums and land grants.

The NFL owners should either show the partners (the players) what the real finacial picture looks like or come up with a system that does not make the players partners that supposedly get 59% of the revenue minus a billion dollar credit.

It must be nice to own a buis that "only" generates 10-20 mil in profit a year and is worth a little over a billion dollars.

[Mista T]

It must be nice to own a buis that "only" generates 10-20 mil in profit a year and is worth a little over a billion dollars.

Since I don't have a billion to spare to but one of the 32 franchises, I'll never know.....

What is your point? Is there something wrong with running an organization worth $1 billion and making $10 to $20 million profits?

Did Steve Bisciotti do something illegal or even unethical when he bought the Ravens for 1/2 billion dollars, doing a great job as team owner to help grow the value of his investment to over $1 billion?

What system would you rather see in place: government owned franchises? Employee-owned? Or a regulated industry, dictating allowable costs and maximum profit rates?

[HoustonRaven]

Most private companies are not mega monopolies with anti trust exemptions and tax payer funded stadiums and land grants.

The NFL owners should either show the partners (the players) what the real finacial picture looks like or come up with a system that does not make the players partners that supposedly get 59% of the revenue minus a billion dollar credit.

It must be nice to own a buis that "only" generates 10-20 mil in profit a year and is worth a little over a billion dollars.

Just what this thread needs -- class warfare at it's finest.

Most of these owners came from nothing, worked their tails off, started a business from nothing, became wildly successful and yet some refuse to acknowledge such? Jealous much?

Ponderous. Effing ponderous.

Private business is free to open or close their books and Bisciotti should be granted the same legal standard afforded to anyone else who runs a business. Their profit or lack thereof should not even factor into the equation.

Some people view success as something to be torn down since it exposes that persons failings. I prefer to view success as something to strive towards, rewarded and promoted.

Take the media hook out of your mouth, JW.

[HoustonRaven]

It's kind of hard to convince anybody the system is broken when all evidence (ie ridiculously big TV contracts/ratings) points to success and you won't open your books. Even Pats owner Robert Kraft is saying the NFL is an "awesome business." If the owners simply opened their books and proved the business model was failing, we'd be one step closer to avoiding a lockout.

Here's a solid Wash Post article by Jay Rockefeller about why the owners should open their books. Thought you guys would enjoy it.

Dee? Is that you?

One thing is for certain, you have the class warfare union tactic down cold.

And excuse me while a yawn a lot that Jay Rockefeller wants the NFL to open it's books. The sky is blue, water is wet and a borderline socialist favors union business killing practices. Tell me something I don't know.

We have examples in pro sports that show us what will happen if labor gets too much of what they want. The MLB has zero parity thanks to too much given in terms a salary scale and no cap / floor. The NHL basically had to shut down some years ago. And the NBA is hemorrhaging cash because players such as Kwame Brown can still command recockulous salaries even though they utterly suck.

So excuse me while I see past your lies and spin. Parity, not huge player salaries, make the NFL great. Once that is gone, it's the beginning of the end and any move towards that is something that should be exposed and done away with post haste.

[Raveninwoodlawn]

Most private companies are not mega monopolies with anti trust exemptions and tax payer funded stadiums and land grants.

The NFL owners should either show the partners (the players) what the real finacial picture looks like or come up with a system that does not make the players partners that supposedly get 59% of the revenue minus a billion dollar credit.

It must be nice to own a buis that "only" generates 10-20 mil in profit a year and is worth a little over a billion dollars.

There are other options out there if the players want to take their ball and go home...tired of this monopoly bullshit.

And the players are not "partners"...they are employees. They have no ownership in the teams...they work for the team. They have no more obligation to demand that Jerry Jones opens his books than I have to demand that Steve Loranger open his to me.

And BTW...most legit businseses that generate 10-20 million in profit (and falling) are not worth over a billion dollars.

The players share should be more in line with the other sports...around 54% or so.

Again, all my friends that are state employees have been forced to take furloughs, many others have been laid off, some have completely lost their businesses...while these players go to Vegas and blow 100k in a weekend...AFTER being warned that there is a lockout coming. They haven't felt ANY of the economic crunch that everybody else in this country has, including the Owners of these teams. Seriously, is it hard to beleive that profits are down considering all these blackouts around the league due to fans not going to the games?

Nobody is looking to have the players get railroaded here, as there are some things I agree with the players on...a 18 game season? Are you kidding me?...but in the end, I think the owners signed a really bad deal before, and some things need to be done to correct some stuff.

[HoustonRaven]

Again, all my friends that are state employees have been forced to take furloughs, many others have been laid off, some have completely lost their businesses...while these players go to Vegas and blow 100k in a weekend...AFTER being warned that there is a lockout coming.

This.

To Dee Smiths credit, on his first day as head of the NFLPA, he was screaming from the hills to all the players they needed to start saving their money.

The players balked. Plain and simple.

Even if they had saved up for the March 3rd deadline, it wouldn't have mattered much in terms of leverage. No other business (or sports league, for that matter) has the type of pay structure and player control the players are currently seeking.