Oatmeal Is Better Than No Meal

Labor negotiations need to maintain a degree of confidentiality, even one as public as the ongoing collective bargaining agreement between the National Football League owners and players. Still, key nuggets are going to be divulged to the public, intentionally or unintentionally. If one reads between the lines of what is revealed to the public, one can draw some broad conclusions with a relative degree of certainty and accuracy.


Labor Negotiations: As pleasant as going to the dentist for a root canal. 1

 NUTS AND BOLTS

ESPN, yesterday, released some details of the agreement being proposed to the owners in the latest talks. Just looking at the bullet points, I think the players can breathe a collective sigh of relief. The owners were determined to roll back some of what the players had and ask for more out of the players. That was done, but players did not get hammered, more like an inconvenient pinch.

The following are some of the details of the proposed agreement, reported by ESPN, which will likely be a part of the final agreement.

Players get 48 percent of “all revenue” – According to NFL Players Association Executive Director DeMaurice Smith, players, after off-the-top expenses, were receiving about 53 percent of the revenue. Many of the reports I had read said that the players could have lived with a 50/50 split. I would call this, under the circumstances, a “win-win”.

Teams required spending close to 100% of the salary cap – That is a win for the players. I do not pretend to have any more knowledge of NFL labor conditions than the average football enthusiast. However, to my knowledge, I am unaware of any minimum salary expenditures that clubs faced in the past. This is a big win for the players, any way one slices it.

Rookie wage scale part of the deal – There are still details to be ironed out, but this is a “win-win” for everyone involved, except for rookies. Owners can save money spent on rookies and spend that money on proven veterans without succumbing to the pressure of an otherwise unencumbered free market for rookie players.

You probably would not like going to your office and seeing this! That is probably how veterans feel when a rookie comes in and gets $60 million guaranteed. 3

Four years needed for unrestricted free agent status – This is another “win-win”. In the absence of a collective bargaining agreement extension in 2010, players had to wait six years (instead of four), well beyond career expectancy, for unrestricted status and owners had no salary cap protection.

18-game regular season designated only as negotiable item and at no point is mandated in deal – Hallelujah! This is a “win-win-win”! The players, obviously win; they wanted no part of an extended schedule. Most fans, expressed through talk shows, Internet polls, scientific polls, and other media, expressed no interest in extending the season. And while the owners may have wanted an 18 game regular season schedule, this condition, should it be agreed upon, may help save the owners from themselves. The Daily Hat Trick has run multiple articles explaining why this was a bad idea. For the fans, this may be the biggest win.

I don't think this is the image the NFL would want after an 18 game regular season. 2

New 16-game Thursday night TV package beginning in 2012 – I have yet to read any details of the thinking and motivation from each side that went into this part of the deal. I am going to take an educated guess and say that this is a win for owners, TV Networks, and fans. This is probably not as much of a win for players (or coaches). Playing a game on Thursday night significantly reduces the rest and preparation time available before a game, 4 days instead of 7 or 8 days for a game played on a Sunday or Monday.

Retirees to benefit from improved health care, pension benefits as revenue projected to double to $18 million by 2016 – This is a win for the players and, besides that, I think it is morally right. Football is a brutal sport that brings fans a lot of entertainment and makes a lot of money for a lot of people. When a player’s career is over, the benefits continue for everyone else, so I think the players responsible for making the great game what it is should be taken care of.


ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?

Let us all keep our fingers crossed and hope that the recent goodwill and progress continues. Maybe, just maybe, training camp will start on time and the looming threat of lost activities will turn out to be little more than a scare. I am ready for some football! Are you?

Oh yeah. I'm ready! Good thing the NFL cheerleaders aren't locked out. 4

Don't forget to vote in the fan polls!

To advertise with The Daily Hat Trick, or to submit a guest column, please contact the editor at eric@thedailyhattrick.info.

1) Image from jonesview.wordpress.com
2) Image from corkrunning.blogspot.com
3) image from ourteamrocks.com
4) Image from endzonebuzz.com