Owners approve new CBA

[oaken1]

a unanimous vote from the owners likely tells the players they left money on the table.

 

[overseascardfan]

This whole lock out crap is old and I could care less. What makes me angry is that the players are coming off as the victims and columnists like that idiot Jason Whitlock who say that the players should hold out longer as the owners have been exposed. The whole argument that the players take all the risks is bull crap.

They get paid millions of dollars, to work 8-9 months out of the year to play a damn game. Most do not have a college degree and are getting paid more than 75% of the people in this country. They are getting money that most of us can't even imagine ever getting in a lifetime. They run the risk of injury, last time I checked the NFL put in rules to curb injuries but players criticized saying that it is sissifying the game, well then take the risk and stop bitchin about it.

Owners should make more money, they paid for the team. Their business sense and negotiating skills are what landed large television and merchandising revenues. Players feel exploited but hello they are making millions of dollars so are they really being exploited? Truth is even if the highest paid player made $1 million dollars a year they would still be living a very comfortable life. Who I feel are the victims are the old retired players from the 50's & 60's who made nowhere near what players are making nowadays and are being completely left out of negotiations, so much for respect.

So why do players need to make more than the owners, so they have an even larger sense of entitlement? So they can go out get arrested for DUI's, domestic disputes, drug and gun charges and then have the nerve to tell law enforcement, "Do you know who I am?". All because they have the money and can afford to buy themselves out of trouble. This is the type of thing that really pisses me off and makes me sick to my stomach. And the real problem is that a majority of the players are willing to make a deal but the Tom Brady/Peyton Manning, big money guys have to get theirs first. I will not be going to any football games this year as I feel that these players have alienated themselves from the fans.

 

[Cardiac]

I think the reason it seems this way, is that many read, the quotes, and the messages concerning this issue and then make their own judgements of what was implied, and not what was stated.

Don't take my opinion of the players current situation as that I am taking the owners side. Both parties are in the wrong, and both parties are trying to use guilt, and slander in this situation to create leverage, and publice tension.

They are both wrong.

Now that being stated, looking at the current situation, the owners are "winning". At this point I could care less what one side or the other has to do in order to get football going again. Both side will do what they deem nessicary to get what they think they deserve, and both sides have every right to do so. Thus my comments are about what the current situation is, and IMO, the players are getting owned right now.

The real sad thing is, that most fans could care less of who is right or wrong, or the spin on anything. They want football, they want the product they pay for from the business that is supposed to offer it.

As stated before this country is in a time of great change in routine, and priorities. Not the best time to be complaining about money in the press, and to be, for all entensive purposes, out of sight and out of mind of the public.

BTW, this lockout is FAR, FAR, FAR from being over. While the spin in the media is that the fans should just worry about the beginning of the season, and that is just a sugar coated spin. There are billions at stake, and two sides want it regardless of what the ramifications are to get it. So, regardless of the ploy to get people to still check in on NFL sites, and TV programs
we should all be more concerned (if there is any concern at all at this point) about even having a 2011 NFL season. I personally don't think it will happen. I feel the moment this effects preseason the owners will dig in harder, and the moment the regular season is affected then the owners will dig in for a lost season, since they really already have made preparations to forego this season.

I would say, with no basis to prove it, about 75% of the players won't be able to pay their bills by October if there is no season. Advantage owners.

As for the fans ? The baseball strike, and hockey strike were not during a time of vast economic, and spiritual woe running through the entire country. The backlash these sports saw from the strike will be nothing, IMO - with no basis to prove it, compared to what the NFL will deal with. Right now people are adjusting all finanaces, and I bet the $_____ spent on football each year is easily gobbled up by other more important priorities in a majority of US households. Now that money, once allotted to other priorities, especially more important ones then a game played on Sundays, is going to be REAL hard to put back towards the over priced luxiary of football.

I for one openly admit that if and when I watch football again, I have a tough decision to make:

To just watch the Cardinals costs = $900.00 a year
To just watch the Eagles costs = $600.00 a year, and could potentially cost $0.00 year if I get rid of my TV service.

As these idiots say, the NFL is a business. Well, $900.00+ (if you put in merchandise like $30.00 crap T-shirts) I pay to watch the Cardinals seems like I am being hosed when Derek Anderson can't complete a 5 yard out to a wide open Larry Fitzgerald, and then I have to hear Graves and company talk about "competitive football" and "keeping the core together".

It is like paying $100 for phone service, and the phone, when used, can't make a basic call, and when you call the company they say, "Don't worry, stick with us, next year it will be better". I don't think many would find that acceptable in business terms.

*** Yeah, Yeah - you can talk about "loyalty" but we have heard enough to know that any and about all team has no loyalty to any of its fans. That is a fantasy we all endulge in (that I have endulged in and regrettfully called others out on this very board for), but we all know is not true. The fans ? Pro teams don't give a damn about you, just your money. The lockout puts reality and its ugly truth out there center stage. While the owners, players, and league want you to stay in fantasy land, they are doing a horrible job of doing that.

:coughRugbyWorldCupSept9thcough:

That's a lot of sentences and thought based on one sentence of mine.

You make a TON of great points and did clarify your position extremely well. The Greed/Money issue is everywhere. I love being an American and truly believe in democracy and capitalism but no system is without it's faults. "Gordon Gecko" is far too prevalent in society and the business world. I actually think many associated with the NFL do have a sense of loyalty to the fans and not just because of $$$$$$$$$.

If we want to assign blame for the lockout then most of it goes to the owners IMWO. I just listened to John Clayton on KTAR and he stated that the owners changed some of points that were agreed to verbally in the CBA they all voted for. One example was changing the # of OTA's from 9 to 10 when the verbal agreement was 9. That's just ONE example so now the nflpa has to read through the entire contract and discuss which "slick" aditions are okay or not.

 

[Cardiac]

First, let me say this:

Okay, now that that's out of the way, let me respond to Cardiac. In no way do I think the owners have suddenly become altruistic. What I think has happened is that they've simply taken the first step, that they're the side that finally looked at the agreement on the table and said 'yes' first. And now the players are dithering for very selfish reasons.

I included this in my post to Rugby but the owners changed some of the items that were verbally agreed upon to their favor. So now the players need to decide which if any of these changes are okay.

It would be a ten yr deal that can't be broken so both sides need to make sure the entire agreement is acceptable to them.

 

[Duckjake]

Question. Since this is a lockout and not a strike and there is no union why would the owners need the players to ratify the CBA to get Free Agency started? Couldn't they just say ok lockout is over and free agency starts tomorrow under the terms we as owners just agreed to. What could the players do? 1600 individual holdouts?