As in just about every labor dispute, fuck the labor side.
The owners are only seeing $.40 of every dollar the league brings in. That's criminal. Players need to give back. And if they don't want to play 18 games, nobody is forcing them. Go use those fancy college degrees from upstanding institutions like Miami and LSU and go get jobs.
As in most labor disputes Ownership is full of shit and will spin what they can to fatten there already swollen wallets.
The NFL's current proposal would keep the player's percentage of Total Revenue at 58%, but importantly, it would reduce the amount of money that is included in the definition of TR by 18%, to allow for certain additional expense deductions. These additional expenses would be on top of the already existing $1.0 billion in expense deductions. If the 18% expense deduction were applied to the 2008 league year revenue, it would result in an additional expense credit of more than $1.3 billion. The obvious effect of this 18% expense deduction is that the players would get the same percentage of a much smaller revenue pie. Instead of each dollar of Total Revenue being included in the cap calculation, only 82 cents of each Total Revenue dollar would be included. That translates into an 18% reduction in the total amount of money included in the cap.
Expressed another way, the NFL owners are asking that the players reduce their percentage of TR, as it is currently defined, from 58% to 47.56% of TR. This lowering of the cap by 10.44 points represents an 18% reduction in the applicable percentage. Expressed in dollars, a cap of $116 million per club as calculated under the existing definition of TR, would be reduced to $95.12 million under the NFL's proposal. Thus, if the impact of the proposal were to be spread evenly over all player salaries and benefits across the league, each player would have to take a cut of 18% in salary and benefits.
You would have to turn back the clock to the early 1980's, in the days before free agency, to find a season in which the players' share of football revenue was as low as that being proposed by the NFL owners for 2010 and beyond.
Ownership wants to increase season length for no reason other than there colossal failure at trying to sell "pre season" games as normal games.
They refused to have any backbone and bent to the will of every agent representing a first round pick. Now they are crying foul at rookie salaries they had entire control over.
Ownership in the NFL requires the knowledge of a walnut.
You are not going to be the Owner or President of Google , Apple , Coke etc and get by for decades making money hand over fist with absolutely no input or knowledge of your product. In the NFL it happens all the time.
Theres little investment in your facilities as most stadiums are subsidized to the point little or no ownership money is actually risked.
Profit is essentially guaranteed every year.
Only one team(publicly owned packers) has ever opened up there books for scrutiny or auditing to back up there claims.
I could be wrong but no owner has ever lost money on a sale of his franchise.
Despite a recession revenue still rose for all teams and profits for many.
Franchises who are now claiming to be "for the fans" are still charging upwards of 20,000$ for personal seat licenses , and charging regular season prices for preseason games.
Noones forcing you to buy a franchise. Sell and use the money for oil rigs if business is so bad.
No reason the NFL owners cant get that percentage tweaked and have a NFL Rookie salary cap implemented. NONE. Deal would have been done ages ago.
But thats not enough. Ownership wants to squeeze every last dollar out of its workforce and customer base.
Profits>Product.
Thats what happens when ownership doesnt have a clue.
Thats what happens when you have a commissioner with no vision other than $$.