The NFL Lockout Thread

[Color Me Badd Fan]

I loath the baseball players' union and the strike in 1994 and the threatened strike back around, I think, 2002 soured me on the game. I recall listening to the Jim Rome show back in 2002 and many fans were basically telling the union that if they had another strike then they were leaving permanently.

The 1999 NBA Lockout was lol funny "we make a lot but we also spend a lot." Since it was a lockout I didn't begrudge the players but I also thought the owners had just cause for the lockout. The owners knew that these idiots spent like drunken sailors and that they could get some major concessions.

During this NFL Lockout I find myself very much with the players on this point. NFL players make less than baseball and basketball players, they have shorter careers, and they damage their bodies more in the process. Many of its players are paid very well but there are a lot of guys that don't make a ton of money and they only have a small window when they can earn money as football players.

Roger Goodell is an asshole. His op-ed props up a straw man that the players are trying to tear down the agreement that's been in place which has proven to be enormously successful for the NFL and players. At the same time he fails to make any mention of the fact that it was the owners who started this (the word lockout doesn't appear in the entirety of the op-ed--he tries to paint the picture that the players are striking. The players were happy with a continuation of the current status quo. He also doesn't mention that the owners were trying to extract two more games out of the players. I love how he tries to act like he's concerned for the long term health of the players while at the same time increasing the number of games they play.

Couldn't the owners have gotten a rookie salary cap without too much of a fight? Wouldn't this have fixed a big part of the issue the owners have?

[NorthwestUteFan]

I have to wonder if it is time to revoke the NFL's Antitrust exemption. I fully agree on the rookie salary cap. Baseball also permanently lost me over 1994 and 2002.

I was somewhat friendly with Luther Elliss when he was at school (we had several classes together). He was a very nice kid from a fairly tough background, and he went out of his way to care for those who were close to him. His problem was he had too big of a heart, supporting 15-20 of his nephews and nieces, and also made a few bad investments.

I find it sad that somebody can be a relatively high draft pick, spend the better part of a decade in the league (including being an Pro Bowler), then retire in their mid 30's, completely broke, with only a few years of healthcare coverage, 20+ year left until able to draw an NFL retirement, and no job prospects.

[Flystripper]

I loath the baseball players' union and the strike in 1994 and the threatened strike back around, I think, 2002 soured me on the game. I recall listening to the Jim Rome show back in 2002 and many fans were basically telling the union that if they had another strike then they were leaving permanently.

The 1999 NBA Lockout was lol funny "we make a lot but we also spend a lot." Since it was a lockout I didn't begrudge the players but I also thought the owners had just cause for the lockout. The owners knew that these idiots spent like drunken sailors and that they could get some major concessions.

During this NFL Lockout I find myself very much with the players on this point. NFL players make less than baseball and basketball players, they have shorter careers, and they damage their bodies more in the process. Many of its players are paid very well but there are a lot of guys that don't make a ton of money and they only have a small window when they can earn money as football players.

Roger Goodell is an asshole. His op-ed props up a straw man that the players are trying to tear down the agreement that's been in place which has proven to be enormously successful for the NFL and players. At the same time he fails to make any mention of the fact that it was the owners who started this (the word lockout doesn't appear in the entirety of the op-ed--he tries to paint the picture that the players are striking. The players were happy with a continuation of the current status quo. He also doesn't mention that the owners were trying to extract two more games out of the players. I love how he tries to act like he's concerned for the long term health of the players while at the same time increasing the number of games they play.

Couldn't the owners have gotten a rookie salary cap without too much of a fight? Wouldn't this have fixed a big part of the issue the owners have?

The owners wanted nearly a $1 billion annually put back on their side of the agreement which would essentially drop to the bottom line. The players didn't believe that the owners needed it to be profitable and the owners were not willing to demonstrate that they needed the money to be profitable. It is pure greed by the owners. The players were ok with the status quo.

[Color Me Badd Fan]

The owners wanted nearly a $1 billion annually put back on their side of the agreement which would essentially drop to the bottom line. The players didn't believe that the owners needed it to be profitable and the owners were not willing to demonstrate that they needed the money to be profitable. It is pure greed by the owners. The players were ok with the status quo.

The owners refused to show their finances. It's incredible that they're asking the players to trust them on this point.

I think Goodell has been an enormous detriment in this process and he's only widening the gulf. When the union decertified, he sent off a threatening email. When the players get the injunction, he writes a completely disingenuous op-ed saying that the players are going to destroy the game. He obscures the fact that the players were fine with the agreement that was in place, it's unbelievable. Any owner that has owned a team for five or more years has seen his or her franchise increase in value tens if not in some cases 100s of millions of dollars. If some of these assholes are finding it so damn difficult to stay afloat then they can simply sell their franchises.

[NorthwestUteFan]

If some of these assholes are finding it so damn difficult to stay afloat then they can simply sell their franchises.

I wonder if that would be a losing proposition, or maybe just a break-even. They pay the capital gains tax on the sale plus lose the "business loss" (salaries, etc) they typically write off against other profits. Plus, a sizeable chunk of the "increase" in value has been related to inflation. For instance, $50M in 1995 is equivalent to ~$73.3M in 2011 according to a simple CPI calculator.

I am of course pissed off about some of the mega-stadiums the owners strongarm their respective communities into building for them. If they don't play this year, the local communities (including mine, half a billion for Qwest) are still on the hook to pay for bond payments.

[Pheidippides]

I'm just getting up to speed on the lockout scenario, and I have to say I'm finding it hard not to side with the players. This is a break from my usual allegiances in such things. I just read (well, skimmed) the decision denying the stay pending appeal and it's clear that Judge Nelson certainly feels that way. She smacked down the league pretty hard (whether or not she makes sense or is right is a question for another day).

[Color Me Badd Fan]

I'm just getting up to speed on the lockout scenario, and I have to say I'm finding it hard not to side with the players. This is a break from my usual allegiances in such things. I just read (well, skimmed) the decision denying the stay pending appeal and it's clear that Judge Nelson certainly feels that way. She smacked down the league pretty hard (whether or not she makes sense or is right is a question for another day).

You should check out the decision dealing with the league exercising bad faith when the owners/league negotiated the TV deal that pays them regardless of whether games are actually played.

[Sizzle]

Ray Lewis:

Do this research if we don't have a season -- watch how much evil, which we call crime, watch how much crime picks up, if you take away our game

sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=6575570

[All-American]

Ray Lewis:



sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=6575570

Does he mean crime among society in general, or just the players?

[MartyFunkhouser]

Ray Lewis:



sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=6575570

Is Ray Lewis threatening to murder someone again?


Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk

[All-American]

Is Ray Lewis threatening to murder someone again?


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I wonder how Michael Vick feels about this?

[HuskyFreeNorthwest]

It is finished.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/6799301/source-nflpa-exec-committee-oks-deal

[Surfah]

It is finished.
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/67...ittee-oks-deal

Emails went out today for my money FF league. The restaurant where we hold our draft has been reserved for the 17th.

[Joe Public]

John Beck is ready to get back to work:

http://espn.go.com/blog/nfceast/post/_/id/28613/john-beck-is-over-eager

[Sizzle]

John Beck is ready to get back to work:

http://espn.go.com/blog/nfceast/post...-is-over-eager

One thing I can say about John is he was the hardest working player I saw at BYU. He was definitely willing to put in the time to be successful. I can't imagine that has changed in the NFL.