NFL Players’ Association files for decertification

Wouldn't matter, players may organize, season or no season, when this settles down the NFL would have to negotiate with 2 unions instead of just the NFLPA, which no longer exists BTW, they dissolved themselves like PanAm.

 

I just canceled my NFL Sunday Ticket after 12 years.

 

I bet they will bleed viewers for awhile bro.

For me, ESPN3 has CFL games starting in July, they'll do until this all settles out as some players have already filed lawsuits and that is going to take quite sometime to iron out.

 

Just read the entire thread. And my brain hurts.

This thing will get ugly for one simple reason. Once the lawyers get involved, it never ends well. It's in their bests interests to keep things going as long as possible so they will poison their clients into thinking the other side is screwing them good even when fair deals are presented. Classic Svengali type ****.

 

When was the payment due?

You probably should've kept it lol.... if there's football, you're going to need to get it back.... if not, you wouldn't have been charged or would've been refunded.

 

No payment was due bro. I am just done with the greedy NFL. I won't renew and could give a crap what they do from now on. Neither side cares about the fans. It is all lip service. They just use the word "Fan" against each other. They will continue to raise prices on the fans.

 

The one question that I have that I dont see anybody asking is what are the owners hiding in the books that they dont want the NFLPA to know?? Obviously if you ask for a billion dollars because of your expenses and are unwilling to really show your expenses, there is no way its going to happen. You can't bring some generic figures for them to look at and expect that to really do something.

To me demanding to see the books of the employer is much less to ask for than an extra billion dollars ontop of the billion you already get.

 

I can understand the Union not sitting still for a paycut when the NFL is making Billions, but then again, at the end of the day how does that concern me if Peyton Manning makes 20 million per yr, or 15 million per yr?

I'm a fan, not an accountant, nor his agent, I also think the NFL has taken fans for granted, when 6 million people tune in to watch the Combine, they see that not as something to be treasured and protected, but as proof that Fans will put up with all of this so they can treat us whatever way and we will just take it.

Which is one of the reasons why I like the CFL, those guys are HUNGRY football players and really, organizations, most guys make maybe 60k to 80k and still have jobs and small businesses.

 

How can an organization that makes THIS much money allow this to happen? Every single person involved in this mess should be ashamed. Goodell and Smith should be fired, since I doubt either would quit.

The owners, the players ... just gah. I honestly cannot believe that anyone here is taking sides - ESPECIALLY with freaking billionaire owners who cry poor during a recession, all the while jacking ticket prices, making PSLs, demanding public funding for stadiums and finish by demanding more money while having the sheer gall to refuse an earnings examination. The players are little better, and I blame them less for this mess, I have zero sympathy for them either.

 

Late to this thread, but to put it bluntly, your boss doesn't need you. The NFL is not the NFL with second tier players. Ever watch the UFL? Me neither.

The truth is, those of us that have regular jobs are, for the most part, disposable. This is not the case in professional sports. No one else in the world can replace Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.

Now, if the NFLPA was holding the owners hostage, I might have a different opinion. However, regardless of your views on unions, you can't deny that this boils down to greedy billionaires trying to take a little more of the pie from its employees. Employees that ARE NOT replaceable.

Capitalism FTL.

 

Disagree, the HoF is filled with "irreplacable players", however when the owners will not show their books, and ask for a clawback, it is clear they are full of crap, to be blunt about it, they got a 1 billion dollar off of the table fund in 06, they saved another 1 billion plus via cancelling free agency for some in 2010, now they wanted another 1 billion dollars on top of the 1 billion they already pocket all under the premise of "trust us"?

That is like the bank telling you that you've overdrawn on your check card, but they will not show you their statement saying how much money is supposed to be in the bank in the first place only a fool would buy into it.

And let me add, the NFL is playing with fire here, this is the only major sports league whose contracts are not guaranteed.

 

That would make sense if their accomplishments were not a part of the NFL where the owners put up the capital and pay everyone's salaries. In other words, what exactly would be their accomplishments without any NFL or teams? Nothing.

Look at the food network, to sign up the cooks (I loathe call any of them chefs anymore) have to sign exclusivity contracts, anything they do or make, Food Network gets a cut. The NFL doesn't demand the same thing ...

 

I dont' know, they were replaced in 1987. Was the product as good? heck no. But they were replaced.

 

I hate this "union" crap. It is killing this country. Capitalist's make money that is what they do. Millions and millions are not enough for these guys??? These guys are legal "stick em up artists". I side with the owners here. I cry foul. Why should any owner be forced to pay some unproven rookie millions and millions of dollars to maybe have a good player.....**** look at Jamarcus Russell as an example.

The pay that the players get paid is somehow not enough now??? What the heck here this is being held hostage. If it was me I would fire every single one of them, and start from scratch. Hell we might even win a playoff game!!!!!!

De-certify my a$$. If I was a judge I would throw their crap out of court. This is as bad as white house politics. We were a union, not a union, tomorrow maybe a union....WTF

Tell ya what else.....if anyone of us went into a meeting with our Boss to negotiate a raise and demanded to see the companies books for the last 10 years to see if our raise was fair or not 100% of us would be fired!!! The arrogance is unbelievable

 

Obvious you are clueless to the situation

 

Problem being, the NFL has been found to be a predatory monopoly.

Does not work like that, now "if" there were 32 food networks who deliberately kept any other network outside of those 32 from having a food network, and Alton Brown wanted to have a cooking show, and the networks said "only bland food network can hire you" then one would be correct.

That is how the Draft works, in fact, those 32 networks then dictate "bland food network, you can only pay Alton Brown X amount"

 

hahaha marlins.

 

Not much we as fans can do individually but collectively (ha ha sorry for the **** pun) we can put pressure on both sets of idiots to sort things out. Ive cancelled my Gamepass and I know of at least 6 others who have done so. Its only a small total but its the principal that counts for all of us.

Looking forward to getting some college games on ESPN over the net next year and as a bonus I get all their other content for a ton less than im paying for Gamepass

 

As fans, can we form a union and sue the NFL and the people representing the players? Considering it should be our decision that matters most anyway.

 

I have been saying this for years. The best thing fans good do is turn their TVs off on Sundays. If enough people did that the NFL would react to it. Listen to the game on the radio or read how your team did online or in the paper. Crash the ratings and kill the TV contracts.

 

Don't forget who the players negotiate with, the owners billionaires all are to be feared and mistrusted.
In a game were your life as a player lasts an average of 3 years and where you end up with serious physical damage,the players need to fight for everything they can get.
The owners will be paid their TV billions in 2011 whether or not a game is played so their year is covered while the players are out of any compensation.
Keep in mind only a few have multimillion contracts with only guaranteed money being the real liability

 

We could boycott all things NFL. NFL store TV, and all others. Let's make that $9 Billion pie much smaller and therefore much easier to divide for the owners / players. Make their lives easier.

 

None of that makes it an extra ordinary business. Many professions are afforded special benefits, especially if there are fewer people to select from. These benefits are given to attract the few people that can do the job. For instance in my profession I am afforded some luxuries just because 1) there is less "talent" and it makes the companies I choose from more attractive 2) it is possible since I work in the technology field. The NFL when you look directly at it is no different then the bank you work at. The only real difference is the job being done, the way the company is made up, and how much money is being thrown around.

 

Well, let's be real here, they can dissolve/lockout/set the NFL HQ building on fire and it would not matter a bit, it is mid March and they have really until August before real football work has to start, until then this is a bunch of hot air and posturing over a big pile of nothing.

When August rolls around and Training Camps should be in full swing, that is the time to pay attention to this stuff.

Besides, CFL starts in early July and runs through November, it is not like "I just can't live without my NFL!!!"

Wanna bet?

 

The NFL has grown exponentially since 1987. There's no way in Hell they get away with replacement players today. People will watch, sure. But it will be an embarrassment to the owners if they go that route. It's the worst possible thing they could do.

 

That is the problem, most people can not live without football. We are addicts. You are right though about this being posturing for the moment but it has already affected teams off seasons. Look at Kevin Kolbs situtatiuon. This is the year for Philly to trade him and get value for him but they cant. He will more then likely sit on Phillys bench this year and go into next year as a FA. Unless a team trades for him by midseason this year his is an Eagle and if a team does pick him up it has to be at a discounted rate since he wont be ready to go until at least 3/4 quarters into the season, if there is one.

How many players enter FA this year that cant sign anywhere and how many teams have holes to fill that they would of already. This is effecting how a team approaches its draft. There is a ripple effect to this that has already begun.

I have decided to listen to all the games on the radio regardless of how things unfold. It is the only compromise I can think of to allow me to follow the sport and not contribute to the overinflated profits by both the owners and the players. I wont be watching the draft either.

 

And you have the inside scoop.............I am all ears Killer

 

these players are absolutely holding the owners and us hostage. **** Payton Manning, Drew Brees and the others. Were a union only when it is convenient. I hope the judge rules in favor of the owners.

Why are any of you looking at these owners as anything other then business owners. This is a business why should any employee be allowed to hold them hostage. Because they can............that's a garbage answer. What the players are doing should be illegal. If the "business owners" made a trillion dollars off TV contracts, good for them they are business owners. Isn't it a business owners job to make as much profit as possible. Show me a business owner that doesn't. What if this was microsoft........should they employees of microsoft be allowed to hold the world's computers hostage because they want more money?? None of us have the right to demand anything at our jobs so why should it be any different for these players. As if the millions they are getting a year to play a sport isn't enough.

It would be a different story if the players were going to be "partners". A partner ponies up the money for stadium improvements, cost of uniforms, salaries etc. All the players want is a cut of the profit and nothing else. Pure greed!! If anyone came to me demanding **** like this I would fire them in a New York second.......it wouldn't even take me a minute. I had a similar problem 4 years ago. I had 75 employees who thought they would come and demand certain things, including pay raises, more benefits and additional vacation time. After firing 18 of them on the spot the others fell back into line, where respectful and received some concessions. I would have fired them all if I had to. The idea is the approach was all wrong. I was willing to shut the doors if I had to but there was no way I was going down like that.

I would love to see a team terminate the contract of someone like Payton Manning or a Drew Brees. Then all other owners refuse to allow him on their team. Let's see what the players do then...............................

 

This is the players problem. They should have thought about that before they decided to go this route with this nonsense. I would love to see the owners terminate the contracts of the top 60 players and refuse to let them on each others team. I guarantee you by half way through what would have been the season more then half the players will cross the picket line.

 

Eh, as I've said, greedy people do not change, things will get done one way or another, as for being an Addict, use this time to gain some perspective.

Think of it as quitting cold turkey.

Well, we signed Garner and Richie I, we are not exactly the 49ers here, as for the league as a whole, the players do not want a paycut and to work in more games for less money, I cannot blame them for striking.

I'm hoping this will force the NFL to loosen up on online streaming to try and gain back our good will.

 

2socks - are you for real with this stuff? Seriously?

 

Then you are describing a monopoly and that is not free trade, how would you like if your employer terminated you employment and was able to keep you from working with the competition.
That's illegal and un american

 

Yes I am. I side with the owners on this one. What are you really asking me??

 

Happens every day. Its called a anti competition agreement. Part of the agreement is that if you work for ABC contracting you will not for a period of what is stated in the agreement work for any firm directly or indirectly in competition with this firm.

I am self employed ....wouldn't happen

The real question here is: Is our system really free trade? People want to tie the hands of the owners. People think the players should be able to stop the business from operating anytime they feel like it because they got a bug up their a$$ they want more money. If the players don't like what the offer is they can go work somewhere else. If it were truly a "free" market the owner's or "bosses would be allowed to make as much as possible. This is called capitalism.

Unfortunately for all, this is only truly applied when convenient. At least we can be consistent.

 

I am responding to the monopoly claim. I would like anyone to show me how the NFL has purposefully made itself a monopoly. If the NFL is illegal then so is the NBA, NHL, major league baseball, tennis, soccer etc. This thought process is ridiculous. What is the NFL supposed to do start another league to compete with itself??

So if illegal lets break it up. All of them!!!!

 

I'm with him.
While I don't like either side I hold the players much more responsible for this.
His points are all right on the money.

 

How about every NFL fan with access to broadband stream the game for free. That'll show em.