A conversation on the ST forum about the NFL salary cap in comparison to the other of the Big 4 major sports leagues prompted me to create this topic.I am COMPLETELY perplexed that the NBA seems to be readying itself for a labor fight, and the NFL seems to be arguing over who should get a bigger piece of the pie, all within ear shot of their comatose cousin, the NHL, struggling for its last breath on life support.
I thought that after watching Hockey run itself out of a regular season, and into oblivion, that the other sports leagues would be doing EVERYTHING possible to make sure something like that would never happen in their house.
However, the NBA is threatening a lockout, and the NFL owners are fighting for bigger revenue shares for the larger market teams, which is just plain ridiculous, and killing the Golden Goose, in my estimation.
The BEST thing about Football is that ALL teams benefit EQUALLY from the major revenue sources such as the TV contracts and merchandise sales. It's also a GREAT thing that the merchandising profits go to the LEAGUE rather than to the individual TEAM. (a fight Jerry Jones recently lost in an attempt to gain exclusive marketing rights to the Cowboys logo)
Without this hard salary cap and communistic revenue sharing plan, the NFL cannot support some of thier most storied franchises in small market cities, such as the Packers, Vikings, Cheifs, Rams and to a lesser-storied degree, SEATTLE!
The bottom line that everyone seems to be missing is that THE FANS NO LONGER CARE who is right, ownership or the players. They're SICK AND TIRED of being jerked around by either group, and have absolutely NO SYMPATHY for MILLIONS arguing with BILLIONAIRES over sums of money most of us will never see in a lifetime, let alone a guaranteed contract year.
So sorry for the somewhat off topic RANT, but I hope that greed does not get the best of the current slate of NFL owners, and they look back at their slow and steady rise to the top of the Big 4 in terms of popularity -- surpassing "Americas Pasttime" and the 80's surge of the Magic/Larry/Michael NBA -- and don't try to FIX a formula that ain't BROKE!
(click the image for a full size version to read the caption. And also note the name of the artist, which is one of the alias names used by our Seahawks insider Mary Smith!)
agreed...
ReplyDeletethis fight is as ridiculous as the NHL's...
the NBA is trying to get things done, and hoping to do so within the next few months...the NFL doesn't seem to care...they act as if they have all the time in the world...
that will prove costly...the NBA problem came somewhat out of nowhere, so the NFL cant be safe either
money and sports has become such a big issue over the last 8 years, that its making sports seem like a cult of greedy human beings
i dont know all the financial crap that goes with it, but when Adonis Foyle gets paid 40+ million dollars in basketball, and Alex Rodriguez is getting 250 mill, then there is easily some inbalance
the NFL doesn't have that problem, but they will eventually if they dont hurry up and fix this situation before it blows open...and letting little pricks like TO step on them isnt helping...they need a clause...if you sign a contract, you have to abide by it for at least 2 years
ADP - right on brother, but I gotta point out a couple of your statements that made me chuckle:
ReplyDelete"its making sports seem like a cult of greedy human beings"
SEEM like? Sports is ALL ABOUT a bunch of greedy human beings, however most of them are agents!
"they need a clause...if you sign a contract, you have to abide by it for at least 2 years "
Umm, if they're not going to abide by the CONTRACT what's going to make them abide by a CLAUSE??!!!
Out here in the REAL world, signing a CONTRACT means you abide by the entire terms of conditions contained within.
My mortgage is a contract with the bank.
I'd like to call them and say, "you know, there's a lot more traffic on my street than I expected, and you've been bought out by two other banks in the brief period I've owned the house, so I'm just going to start sending you half the montly amount, okay?"
How long before the bank forecloses on my house and I'm sharing a washing machine box with K-Rob?
Here's an alternate image I wanted to use for this story, but my firewall at work wouldn't let me view it!
ReplyDeleteThe Golden Goose
I'm not exactly sure what it is, but it seems to be the marquis for a Vegas strip club!
agreed...i personally think a contract is a contract...so if you sign a 7 year deal, its your own dumbness...WHEN i make it...im signing 3 year deals my whole career...unless its with the Seahawks, which ill sign anything for any money
ReplyDeletebut for the TO situation the "two years" part was sarcasm
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/3657054
ReplyDeletelittle article on the whole NFL Golden Goose thingy...
if they got something new in place this summer...it should free up some money for us with Jones' contract and even Hass'
The big problem is that some owners (like the Bengals, and the Cardinals) perpetually underacheive, and don't really make the effort that others do. As fans, we love the way every team has a chance, and parity rules. As an owner, I'd be very upset if I went out and worked my butt off getting a big sponsorship deal (say from Qwest), and I have to share the money with a team that just decides to name their stadium after a figure from the teams past (Paul Brown). I don't know the exact numbers, but let's just say it's 32 million, for ease of calculations. That means we'd give 1 million dollars of that money to every other team. We'd get some money back from teams like the Patriots, whose field is sponsored by Gillette, but none back from the Bengals, whose field isn't sponsored. I'd prefer that million dollars go to the Hawks locker room, or upgrades at the season ticket seats (the rumor is that they might put internet at each seat sometime in the future) etc. If every team works equally for sponsorships, and markets their teams equally, than revenue sharing works. It's when some owners slack off that it doesn't.
ReplyDeleteI hope that it's decided soon, I hope that we keep the parity we have, but I can completely understand why an owner like Jones, and to a lesser extent our boy Paul might be against the current system.
Posted by PaulieP
Two words: The Yankees
ReplyDeleteThey symbolizes everything that's wrong with a sport with no hard salary cap, and no decent revenue sharing plan among the owners.
Teams like the Expos and the Brewers can't compete with the ba-zillion dollar payroll the Yankees can muster.
That's the LAST thing I want to see in the NFL...so the owners better get their shitz together and figure something equitable out.
Alba, being the Red Sox hater that i am...Red Sox are pretty much at the Yankee's payroll
ReplyDeleteMets too I believe...with the Angels, Dodgers pulling up the rear
but Paul also made good points...
so its preference
I would rather lose money to a lazy FO on a different team then have a Yankees/Red Sox thing going on...so we lose a bit of money...i rather lose a little ground then to lose a ridiculous amount to an overpowered team...25 stacked players is bad, but 50?!?!?! eh...i dont wanna think of 50 Vilmas, Mannings, and Andre Johnsons
their rivalry was built through media, therefore not a TRUE rivalry (Mariners and Orioles were actually the real rivals before the Red Sox got blown up) like us and the Lambs...
Don't misread me, I love the parity a hard cap brings, and I support revenue sharing 100%. But I think that the system needs tweaked. I just feel that if Paul Allen decides to spend more time and effort getting sponsorships and improving his team through equipment and facilities, he and the Hawks should reap the benefit. I live in Tempe, where the Cardinals play. They haven't had a stadium of their own since they moved here, they've been playing in Sun Devil Stadium. It really upsets me to think that the money that the Hawks made from all their sponsorships is going toward a team that won't even pay for their own stadium.
ReplyDeleteIf I had to choose, of course I love the way the NFL is run. But, even a good system can be made better.
Although it doesn't require a work stoppage to improve.
Posted by PaulieP