Well, it has been almost a week since the NFL has been in a lockdown mode. I can honestly say that I don’t have the same sort of despair and anger that a lot of fans/media have. Here is the deal: I can separate my love for the NFL and corporate greed very easily. I don’t really get all that upset when people want as much money as humanly possible. This is just what professional sports has become. I mean, where the hell have you been? We have had a ton of work stoppages over the last 25 years in all four sports.
Anyways, it’s not like we weren’t warned about this. Since the end of 2009, if you had read Peter King’s Monday Morning QB, you’d know that a lockout was going to happen. Look, it’s March right now. The football season doesn’t start for another six months, so, lets just chill out until the Summer starts at least. Are you really that pissed off about the possibility of OTA’s and a preseason game being canceled? Hell, if there are only two preseason games, I’ll be happy as can be! Heck, maybe if there are only 9 regular season games, a 5-4 record could get the Bills in the playoffs. Hey, that would mean that the 2008 and 2007 Bills teams would have made the post season.
Alright, I’m kidding. I don’t want any games to be canceled…even the preseason games (Alright, I’m lying about that one).
Bottom line: I’m waiting until say, August, to really hammer the players and owners. I mean, what are we missing out right now? Sure, free agency, but that will come when the dust clears. Darn it, I was so looking forward to Chan Gailey telling the media that CJ Spiller looks great in shorts during OTAs. Do you see what I mean? It’s costing us nothing. There will be a regular season. I have no doubts about it. Bank on it.
Now, if you want me to pick a side, I’m going with the players. We all know that the NFL makes waaaaaaaaaaaaaay more money than the other professional sports do. However, the players aren’t paid nearly as much as they are in baseball and basketball. Plus, none of their contracts are even guaranteed, besides the signing bonuses. I think the biggest problem here is that NFL owners have built these billion dollar palaces and because the economy is down, it’s harder to find corporations to buy luxury boxes for the price they want. Plus, for teams like Dallas to institute such ridiculous costs in order to buy PSLs, has hurt the owners. Of course, these owners are still making money, but they have to pay off their bills on these new stadiums. Bottom line: The NFL owners screwed themselves by going all corporate. Say what you will about Ralph Wilson, but at least he hasn’t forgotten about the fans when it comes to charging for tickets.
If you want to talk about someone getting screwed, it’s the old guys. The old guys who made this league. The veterans who are getting ripped off by the NFL for their retirement benefits. Those are the guys who have been screwed.
I’ll admit, there’s one thing that I’m worried about, and that’s whether or not this deal is going to help out the smaller markets. That’s all I care about. I’ve said it before, if the NFL gets rid of revenue sharing between owners, this franchise is going to be in trouble. If Jerry Jones can keep all the Billions he’s made in Dallas, we could be looking at a Yankees/Royals type of league. I get a little nervous when the only owners I see attend these CBA meetings are the ones who probably don’t like our market all that much. Now, I’m sure Wilson and Russ Brandon are on conference calls, but still.
Anyways, that’s my take on the lockout. It’s not a big deal until we start losing “Real” NFL games.
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