Sporting Fools
Sporting Fools
Sporting Fools

Sporting Fools

The frequent and occasional humorous musings behind two of the World's greatest underappreciated sports minds.

Wednesday, May 25, 2005

Another Day, Another Lockout Threat...

This time its the NFL. For years NFL Union head Gene Upshaw has been criticized for having the weakest union despite the most healthy and popular league.

Well the NFL has been running things long enough that Upshaw has decided he wants a bigger piece of the pie.
"To sit around and think that labor peace is going to just fall off a tree, they're reading the wrong tea leaves," said Gene Upshaw, the union's executive director. "It's time for them to wake up to the fact that we have a problem, and we need to get it fixed."

Upshaw said that, in the latest talks with the league, the union has been offered 57 percent of the league's designated gross revenues "when they admit to us under the old agreement we've been getting 59 to 60 percent. So why would we accept something less than what we're already getting? We're not going to do that."

Under the current labor agreement, a salary cap will be in effect for the last time for the 2006 season, and if there is no extension, the 2007 season would be uncapped, meaning teams could spend as much as they want to sign free agent players. Upshaw said if it came to an uncapped year, he would decertify the union, a move that essentially would mean all players would become free agents.

Wow. Imagine the mad rush if that happened. You'd truly see chaos on the market like never before. And each team would have a completely new identity.

The hope is that things won't go that far, but the league needs to be realistic. They have gotten over the players for a long time and while they got away with replacements in 1987, it won't fly in 2005.


Union Chief Warns NFL Owners [Washington Post]
Horse Collar Tackle Banned [USA Today]

Posted by Corey 11:28 AM ||
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