Brian (who is apparently a fan of this blog) doesn't say everything I would have (though that's easy to say when I'm not on TV) but he puts up a pretty good argument that if fans (and let's be honest--non-fans who live in the taxable zones) are going to put up over Six Billion Dollars to build stadiums, they maybe should have some say in what is happening.
I don't know I agree with that argument, of course. Taxes always go to things that you probably don't like. I would have loved to withhold my money from the Iraq War, for example. Apparently, there are people who don't like science being taught in schools, and yet, they pay their taxes, for the most part. But Brian has a real point when it comes to special taxes in cities to build stadiums, and the lack of back-and-forth between fans and owners, in particular. And is exactly this kind of Cable News inquiry that I don't think the NFL Owners figured on. Dylan Ratigan is a no-nonsense centrist with some left leanings, and it is clear whose side he is on.
I think the greatest chance we have at having a very limited lockout, with few concessions from players is sunlight from the media. If they are willing to do their job, the owners are in trouble, despite all the cards they hold.
1 comment:
Love the idea, hippie. But you've got a better chance of playing keyboards in the Grateful Dead than of being invited to participate in the negotiations.
The fans have no leverage -- nobody believes that fans will turn their backs on the NFL because of a lockout.
This is why I don't think that "public opinion" matters at all in this case. Owners aren't elected officials, and their product is irreplaceable.
So go ahead and collect signatures, or chain yourself to a tree, but ownership has nothing to lose and everything to gain. And they're very rich and powerful, by the by.
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