"The keystone to the owners' castle is that the TV deal for 2011 will pay them $4.4 billion even if there aren't any games. Add in the $4 billion owners would collectively save by not paying players for the year and there's a tremendous incentive for the owners to give us all the middle finger."
Bad news: although an appeal is in process, it was ruled that the NFL won't have to put that TV money in escrow until the CBA is worked out. That "tremendous incentive" is a locomotive steaming right for us. A crazy train, if you will.At this point, some may hope the NFLPA just caves in so that we can at least have football. Saturday's negotiations will involve only the first miles of some marathon ball-breaking by the owners. Check out this smug shit from the league, after winning the aforementioned case:
"As we have said all along, a new CBA has to be hammered out at the negotiating table, not in the courtroom. If the union commits to invest as much time, energy and other resources in negotiations as it has in its litigation strategy, a new agreement could well be reached by March 4."And spare me the flooding bullshit that the 18-game schedule is what the league owners are holding out for. It's an obvious bullshit ploy because the owners won't make any extra money.*
The billionaire NFL owners want more money, and they are going to get it.
The CBA deadline, may I remind you, is midnight of March 3rd. After that: lockout.
* an exaggeration. Although extra games won't effect the current TV contract or season-ticket prices, teams will make money in concessions for parking during the one additional home game.
3 comments:
technically, the lockout doesn't start on March 4th. Things can continue without a bargain in place. But the owners could drop the bomb at any time after that deadline.
Respectfully -- you are wrong, boner. By definition, the new NFL season can't start until the new CBA is agreed upon. The old CBA expires on March 4.
Thus, the owner's lockout begins at that moment, and ends when an agreement is in place.
Actually, no, I'm not wrong. There are little in the way of NFL activities being held in March anyway. The Draft will continue regardless. If Peyton Manning shows up at the practice facilities on March 5th, and wants to work out, he will not be "locked out", unless the owners have agreed to do so. It doesn't just happen.
For most players and fans and owners, March 5th will be like any other day.
So will March 6th, all up until the point where the owners officially say, "Negotiations fruitless; lockout starts now."
'respectfully' that, you dunderhead.
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