Sports Morans

The usually tight run NFL is becoming quite a circus these days. Free-agency, and the official start to the year keeps getting pushed back in increments, and the two sides are fighting like children in the back seat of the car.
"You're on my side!"
"Am not! See this line? This is MY side."
"Well, I say THIS is the line, and you can't be over here!"
"Nu-uh! I say the line is over HERE!"

And a players union that I once respected, is posturing, and it's going to cost the players DEARLY. Most players unions.... hell, unions in general, are so concerned with looking out for their members, that they lose sight of the goal. They will cut off their noses to spite their face. The baseball players union absolutely killed baseball. The NFLPA on the other hand, worked with the NFL to maximize what the players could have, but allowed the owners to grow. They realized that if the owners made more money, the players would get their share of it. And the NFLPA was the only union to get that. So what happened? The NFL experienced a boom over the last 20 years that has never been matched in sports history. Football is KING.

Actually, compared to the other sports here in America, the NFL is God.

So now the union is greedy. The owners aren't helping the situation, but I'm putting 60% of the blame on the union. The players in 1992, very begrudgingly, agreed to a salary cap. Now, if the current agreement is not extended, 2007 would be an un-capped year. The union has said that if they ever get the chance to play in an uncapped year, they would never agree to any other deal that has a salary cap.

This part I get. Players, especially the real good ones, don't like a cap. But what really would happen, is that the union would be gaining five dollars, only to have to give back ten dollars.

Pretending that the players wouldn't be locked out in 2008 ( which they would, but just play along with me here ) - the players would get the holy-grail of NO salary cap, but they'd lose alot as well. For starters, there'd be no minimum salary, as there is now. Players would also lose the 401(k) matching the NFL offers. This is no joke of a retirement plan either, as the NFL matches at an outrageous 2-1. Think about that, especially at the dollar amounts these guys are making.

Players would also lose NFL sponsored health insurance, and the NFL pension plan ( which is in addition to the 401(k). Losing the salary cap would result in a situation like MLB, with teams falling into categories of 'have' and 'have-nots'. Teams like Buffalo, Indy, and even Green Bay would not be able to compete with deep pocket owners, and some of those teams might even fold.

So lets recap. A new agreement, although it will have a salary cap, means no teams have to fold, players don't get locked out in 2008, players can keep making millions of dollars a year, get a kick ass 401(k), a pension plan, free health insurance - and the golden goose gets to live.

No deal? Maybe the top 10% of players in the league will make a crapload of money in 2007, and then get locked out in 2008, and lose all the above.

Why the fark is the union walking away from the negotiating table?

Morans.