NFLPA's Smith hopes for CBA deal by November

[Dirtbag59]

Wishful thinking or sign of progress?
NFLPA direction DeMaurice Smith hopes for CBA deal by November - ESPN

[CRedskinsRule]

Regardless, its the first positive statement in a long time. I don't think he would have said it if it were completely unrealistic, but I also don't see it happening.

[CooleyAsCanBe]

I hope so, but I know there are still large obstacles. I liked the players on both teams all raising the "number one" hand sign after the coin toss before yesterday's Saints-Vikings game.

[sportscurmudgeon]

I'd love to see this happen - - but I have to put this in the "Wishful Thinking Bucket" for now.

Until there are substantive negotiations - - and there have not been any yet - - both sides are going to try to issue public statements that they believe will resonate with fans. Having the fans on your side in negotiations like this is a help.

Fundamentally, this is an argument between billionaire owners and millionaire players over how to divvy up something like $8.5B a year in revenue that comes out of OUR (the fans') pockets.

Owners have a seat at the table, the players have a seat at the table through their Players Association, the agents have a seat at the table because of the influence they wield over their clients. The TV networks have a de facto seat at the table because they provide the biggest chunk of the revenue everyone is fighting over so if any proposal is absolutely anathema to the networks, it will die on the vine.

Who's missing? The fans - - the ones who pay the freight. The fans get to react to crafted PR statements like the one linked here - - and to speeches given by Roger Goodell about the state of the game. The process is upside down.

If the fans were in charge here, there would be no strike/lockout and all of the other issues would be settled via mediation in about a week and a half.

[skinsfaninok]

Say no to a lockout!!!

[Dirtbag59]

People keep saying that they don't want to hear about players making millions of dollars from billionaires. However as hard line as the unions stance may be I think the real concern is getting the guys not named Tom Brady and Peyton Manning protected. Making sure that the career special team players that put their bodies on the line recieve proper health care and a little bit more money.

We forget a lot of these guys go bankrupt and it's not always the flashy guys that engage in Lamborghini living. Mark Brunell for example is now bankrupt thanks to some problems he's had with investments.

Almost 80 Percent of NFL Players Nearly Bankrupt, 60 Percent of NBA Ballers? Why?

[saden1]

Too much money in the game now for there to be lockout and with a down economy the quickest way to turn off fans is to have work stoppage. No way in hell there's a lock out...they will compromise and a deal will be reached. Players will compromise on rookie salary structure and breach of contract and the owners will maintain giving player the bulk of revenue.

No players, no product. No product, no NFL. No NFL, no monies.

[CooleyAsCanBe]

Originally Posted by Dirtbag359

People keep saying that they don't want to hear about players making millions of dollars from billionaires. However as hard line as the unions stance may be I think the real concern is getting the guys not named Tom Brady and Peyton Manning protected. Making sure that the career special team players that put their bodies on the line recieve proper health care and a little bit more money.

We forget a lot of these guys go bankrupt and it's not always the flashy guys that engage in Lamborghini living. Mark Brunell for example is now bankrupt thanks to some problems he's had with investments.

Almost 80 Percent of NFL Players Nearly Bankrupt, 60 Percent of NBA Ballers? Why?

Another point that the NFLPA is right to stress are the thousands of lower-income wage earners who will lose their jobs if there is a work stoppage. Football stadiums employ lots of people, as do all the businesses supported by games (restaurants, taxis, TV, etc.).

[tryfuhl]

one of the few industries that gets it right as towards paying the workers what they earn vs raping them

[SmootSmack]

This could be an interesting twist in the discussions

Source: NFLPA considering decertification vote - NFL - SI.com

[CRedskinsRule]

I didn't hear of any, but were there any other player unity moments other than the NO-Minn one?

[tryfuhl]

Smith according to PFT's chances is still anti-lockout, not helping any chances of a future strike

De Smith's anti-lockout stance will make it harder to strike in the future | ProFootballTalk.com

make sure to read to the end

[sportscurmudgeon]

All the talk and all the votes regarding decertification and/or statements about being for or against a lockout do not feed the bulldog.

There are economic issues and there are discipline/regulatory issues on the table and NONE of them have been resolved. The reason NONE have been resolved is that both sides continue to negotiate in the press with statements and staged events and not in a closed room with the lawyers and accountants sitting on the back benches.

Until the two sides sit down in that sort of venue and start working from 9:00AM until 11:00 PM with meals sent into the room so as not to disturb the momentum of the talks, take everything you hear or read and recognize that it got to you only after a half dozen PR twinkies massaged every last bit of it.

There will be kernels of fact and truth in there. There will also be LOTS of rhetorical nonsense.

Critical reading and thinking skills are needed here...

Wishful thinking (like hoping for a pony for Christmas when you were 4 years old) and/or magical thinking (like believing Santa Claus could actually visit about 2 billion households world-wide in a single night) are not going to lead to understanding here.