Lockout a Bad Idea for the NFL

In a matter of days, the owners of the National Football League will decide whether to impose a lockout when the current Collective Bargaining Agreement expires on March 3. As a player in the NFL, I hope they decide not to pursue a lockout because I want there to be football next season.

It is important that everyone knows the difference between a lockout and a strike. A lockout is when employees that want to work are prevented from working; a strike is when employees refuse to work. This is a lockout. The players want to play a full NFL season in 2011, but each day brings more signs that owners are prepared to not allow that to happen.

The NFL's owners opted out of the current agreement in May 2008 -- nearly two years before the upcoming deadline -- which gives them the option of locking players and fans out of a 2011-'12 season if an agreement is not reached in the next few days. As players, we didn't want to end the current deal but we understand that with every deal, there can always be changes made to make things better for both sides.

Football has never been more successful or popular. Revenues, ratings and sponsorships are all up, and indications point to continued growth and prosperity for the NFL. Both sides have shared in the growth of our business. Did you know that 111 million viewers tuned in to see this year's Super Bowl between the Packers and Steelers, making it the most-viewed program in U.S. television history?

It is crystal clear that fans want to continue watching players playing the game we have loved our entire lives.

Despite this economic success, the owners are openly threatening a lockout, demanding that the players give up $1 billion in our portion of revenues. The owners have claimed these changes are needed to maintain the NFL's fiscal health, yet they refuse to open their financial books to let us make an informed decision about whether to agree to the request.

This is unfortunate because a lockout is not only harmful to the long-term success of league, it would have a devastating impact on local businesses. In New York/New Jersey, NFL game days are critical to the surrounding communities and workers at New Meadowlands Stadium, who rely upon games to support their families. The average NFL city could lose $160 million in jobs and revenue, and more than 150,000 jobs would be affected if there's no football in 2011.

NFL football is -- far and away -- the most popular sport in America, and players want to play next year for our teams and our fans. I hope the owners won't sacrifice a season and our fans' goodwill by imposing a lockout. However, because they opted out of the current agreement, we have no guarantee that there will be an NFL season in 2011. Owners, players and fans all win if there is professional football this year.

Take a lockout off the table and let players play.

 

Comments

[Paul Shene III]

08:24 PM on 02/22/2011

Cities should foreclose on public-funded stadiums and use eminent domain to take ownership of the franshises away from those spoiled brat owners.

Then resell them back on Auction with a STRICT , "never lockout, never strike" clause to disallow stoppage of the season at all, under any circumstances.

It's time the FANS got treated with some respect.

[thinkingwomanmillstone]

12:15 PM on 02/21/2011

It's about time for the NFL to take responsibility for itself. No more tax payer built stadiums or special deal from host cities. Put that in the contract. I don't feel sorry for the players or the owners. Given the current economic environment, it's a real slap in the face to the cities that have given them so many sweetheart deals. It's the local people who will suffer...the people who staff the offices, stadiums or who service the fan base. I like watching football but a lockout will certainly make me think twice about buying anything NFL in the future. Meglomaniacal millionaires one and all.

[tulsey]

10:36 PM on 02/20/2011

See the book "Bad sports", explains how rich team owners jack local governments and everybody else. W and the Texas Rangers, prime example.

[realitytrumpsbull]

10:08 PM on 02/20/2011

This is one big money fight, and there might be 111 million viewers, but I wasn't one of them. Why? I've seen a lot of football games over the years, they really aren't all that exciting, and anymore, it's ALL about the money. It's basically an advertising bed, where in between commercials, millionaires in tights fight over custody of a ball under very controlled circumstances. It's a popular sport, and one of our national sports, but it's kind of passe, cliche, kind of 'done'. I'm not trying to trash anyone's careers, or ruin their franchise or anything, but I think sometimes people do a pretty good job of that all by themselves. This might be a good example of it. Can we please see a salary and benefits and earnings report, for all the players, not just the athletes on the field, but the advertisers, network carriers, the managment, the kid that refills the ice chest, all of it?  I think we should try to empathize with these professionals, but also remind them that they ARE professionals, and that people in the viewing audience could just as easily get up, shut the TV off, and go do something productive with their Sunday. Which, come to think of it, might not be such a bad idea.

[kapalabhati]

07:09 PM on 02/20/2011

And in other news of the obvious, it's going to be increasing lightness followed by dark.

This will be an unmitigated disaster for the players, the fans, and all of the cities and residents whose revenue rely on the NFL.

Get it together already.

[Taumsauk]

06:14 PM on 02/20/2011

Could the players start a league of their own? The NFL crams in so many commercials, its difficult to watch at times. I would totally support a new player owned league.

[squib scribbles]

05:41 PM on 02/20/2011

Who cares its just bread and circuses designed to placate the masses. Lets be done with it once and for all.

[oldgeek1]

05:26 PM on 02/20/2011

I like the idea of a lock out. The over grown men who by most standards are over paid can use the rest. Maybe they should ban together and create their own teams and borrow the money to build and maintain the stadiums and while they are at it, their own networks.

[tulsey]

10:38 PM on 02/20/2011

You have obviously confused owners with players.

[zitlight73]

04:01 PM on 02/20/2011

I've always said if there is a year without a Super Bowl for whatever reason after almost 50 years an NFL fan I'll walk, and not look back. Millionaire players are fighting billionaire owners over $9 billion taken from the fans, they had better come up with something they'd better come up with some.

[hate2haggle]

02:17 PM on 02/20/2011

As much as I love my Steelers I can live well with memories of the team. I think the time has come for all to have a public conversation about the pros and cons of professional and college football. I mean really, couldn't we find the same pleasure with soccer. I found the U.S. presence in the World Cup very exciting. NFL players, take the money and run and take what good health you have, too.

[FunctionOfTheCrisp]

11:16 AM on 02/20/2011

I just canceled my DirecTV subscription, and now I don't care if there is a lockout or not.

[GrumpyinAZ]

09:33 AM on 02/20/2011

If the NFL players want our sympathy they had better get their faces in front of a camera in Madison Wisconsin

[missmanners]

02:29 PM on 02/20/2011

On Sunday, cornerback Charles Woodson, a member of the NFL Players Association, became the latest Green Bay Packer to back the public employees' cause.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_wisconsin_budget_unions

[GrumpyinAZ]

02:51 PM on 02/20/2011

But I am talking about their UNION as a whole. If they want the support of Labor when they get locked out they need to be on the line. If they want to hang in the Sky Boxes with the owners and the millionaires fine.

[tulsey]

10:40 PM on 02/20/2011

Packers, only publically owned team.

[wernerholm]

08:32 AM on 02/20/2011

Who cares about a union for millionares???? The "NFL" despite it's three letter title is a PRIVATE COMPANY.... it is not about or for the public good.... it is not a bunch of guys from your home town who got together and played a game against a bunch of guys from the town over yonder.
It isn't even about a game; the NFL is something designed to get you to watch ADVERTISING and BUY PRODUCTS like cars, beer, and liquer.
Rooting for one team to win over another is a bit like hoping that one McDonalds franchise sells more burgers than another.... or that Vogue sells more issues than Vogue Paris...

.... it is for "men" as the Discovery Channel is to rich people, a marketing device and nothing more.

Lock them out.... and who really suffers is Budwiser and Gillette.

[phill273]

02:33 PM on 02/20/2011

The NFLPA is a federally recognized union. Therefore, they have monopoly bargaining power on player contracts.

[kevinbr38]

05:40 AM on 02/20/2011

The owners don't care about the economic losses to families and communities that depend on football, just like they don't care about the fans who pay good money to attend, or watch the games. What they care about is corporate sponsorship and hugh profits for themselves. It's called greed.

[rickthaluddite]

06:12 PM on 02/20/2011

Don't just lambaste the owners-- the players don't care about the fans either.

[WTFbush]

03:30 AM on 02/20/2011

i hope that you have a lock out.

then the networks can have education programs in place or no tv at all. parents can play catch with thier kids. they can read books with thier kids. they can avoid the excuse to get plastered on a sunday and drive home drunk from sports bars.

they can teach thier kids that there are doctors and researchers trying to find cures for cancer and other diseases and the kids can put them on the pedestal instead f some stupid jock criminal that is over paid and apparently above the law $$.

yeah, "Lockout a Bad Idea for the NFL" but a "GREAT Idea for the American Family".