Steely Dan Posted May 11, 2010 Posted May 11, 2010 I agree. Then some holier then thou NFL fans can stop waxing poetic about how the NFL is so above and beyond anything else and realize they are just like the other major sports. Yep, just like sales PROVE that New Kids on the Block are better than the Beattles The NFL is a competitive league that is set up to make things as equitable as possible. Whether you want to believe it or not. The NKOTB analogy is lame. You're talking an artistic thing vs. a business.
Chandler#81 Posted May 11, 2010 Posted May 11, 2010 So, by winning the Super Bowl this year, the Bills will actually be champs for 2 years? Cool! It couldn't be more fitting! Go Bills!
Thoner7 Posted May 11, 2010 Posted May 11, 2010 I love it. I hope the NFL announces it just as soon as the superbowl for the 2010 season is over. Bring in replacments, hold the draft like normal and lets move on. In a couple years the players will beg to get a deal done. The Bills may be te only team in the league that woud improve with a lockout. SUPERBOWL!!!!!!!
HansLanda Posted May 11, 2010 Posted May 11, 2010 No draft without a CBA--unless the owners want to go to jail for violating the antitrust laws in such a flagrant way. fact: there will be a draft either way...The draft will be business as usual even if a deal isn't reached.
Casey D Posted May 11, 2010 Posted May 11, 2010 fact: there will be a draft either way...The draft will be business as usual even if a deal isn't reached. Not legally, under Section 1 of the Sherman Act--unless the NFL gets a ruling in the pending Supreme Court case that it is a single entity. That seems an unlikely ruling, and short of that an agreement by a group of competitors to divide up employees through a "draft" is per se illegal, and would be treated as a criminal offense by DOJ. The only reason the draft works now is the labor exemption to Section 1--which exempts agreements that would otherwise violate the antirust laws IF they are part of a collective bargaining agreement. No CBA, no exemption, hello jail for Jerry, Danny and Ralph if they conduct a draft. Lockout means no CBA, which mean no draft.
profile Posted May 11, 2010 Posted May 11, 2010 Not to sound morbid, but I truly believe that a lockout or strike will actually cause Ralph Wilson's demise, and then the chaos will really begin in Buffalo.
DarthICE Posted May 11, 2010 Posted May 11, 2010 Not legally, under Section 1 of the Sherman Act--unless the NFL gets a ruling in the pending Supreme Court case that it is a single entity. That seems an unlikely ruling, and short of that an agreement by a group of competitors to divide up employees through a "draft" is per se illegal, and would be treated as a criminal offense by DOJ. The only reason the draft works now is the labor exemption to Section 1--which exempts agreements that would otherwise violate the antirust laws IF they are part of a collective bargaining agreement. No CBA, no exemption, hello jail for Jerry, Danny and Ralph if they conduct a draft. Lockout means no CBA, which mean no draft. The NFL has already stated there WILL be a draft so that ends the arguement.
Mr. WEO Posted May 11, 2010 Posted May 11, 2010 But, but, but, what about labor peace? Relax doc, it's coming. Let the very rich men do their business.
Doc Posted May 11, 2010 Posted May 11, 2010 Relax doc, it's coming. Is this another assurance, like when you told me the 2006 CBA was good and that the owners wouldn't opt-out of it at the earliest possible chance? Let the very rich men do their business. The players "did their business" on the owners last time around, doc. And as a result, now the owners are looking to recoup a good portion of that $200M+ more they've annually paid the players since 2006. The problem is, the players have now tasted it and won't easily give it up, since it's a lot easier to go from (in relative terms) nothing to something, than vice versa. So all signs point to a strike.
Damian Posted May 11, 2010 Posted May 11, 2010 Since the Green Bay Packers are publicly-owned, we can at least see how one of the league's smallest-market teams fared. This is from Forbes at the start of the 2009 season: http://www.forbes.com/lists/2009/30/footba...ers_302814.html Intersting tidbit: The Green Bay Packers net income fell 80% last year, to $4 million, due in large part to a $50 million decrease in the value of its investment portfolio Wonder how many teams felt the same pain when the markets dropped? That might make the owners a little more forceful in their demands for more revenue, as they try to recoup their losses.
TITAN Posted May 12, 2010 Posted May 12, 2010 I hope they lockout the players. If they were smart, they institute the rookie cap, and give back the difference to the owners. That alone would probably stop a lockout. Instead, they are going to get screwed both by the rookie cap, and the money they will be forced to give back. I don't care about anything except a rookie cap. It will make the draft even better than it already is.
Spiderweb Posted May 12, 2010 Posted May 12, 2010 I love it. I hope the NFL announces it just as soon as the superbowl for the 2010 season is over. Bring in replacments, hold the draft like normal and lets move on. In a couple years the players will beg to get a deal done. OK, now don't go back tracking down the road.... This actually made sense.
Spiderweb Posted May 12, 2010 Posted May 12, 2010 The NFL is a competitive league that is set up to make things as equitable as possible. Whether you want to believe it or not. The NKOTB analogy is lame. You're talking an artistic thing vs. a business. While NKOTB analogy sucked, they and the NFL all all about entertainment. That is common ground. They both are businesses as well (money...). The Beatles, much more so over time by far, werea Big Business as well as entertainers.
The_Philster Posted May 12, 2010 Posted May 12, 2010 under a lockout, there would be no replacement players...a lockout means shutting things down altogether...only in the event of a strike do replacement players come into the picture. Hopefully something gets done soon because there are a lot of businesses that barely break even most of the year and make all their profits during football season. Without NFL games, some businesses will have a tough time surviving.
Casey D Posted May 12, 2010 Posted May 12, 2010 The NFL has already stated there WILL be a draft so that ends the arguement. I don't care what they say--as powerful as the NFL is, they are not above tha law and are not generally exempt from the antitrust laws as is baseball. So it is not the end of the "arguement"(sic). Give me the legal argument to support your position, and let's evaluate it. Perhaps the NFL thinks it is going to win totally in American Needle, but short of that there is no draft.
HansLanda Posted May 12, 2010 Posted May 12, 2010 I don't care what they say--as powerful as the NFL is, they are not above tha law and are not generally exempt from the antitrust laws as is baseball. So it is not the end of the "arguement"(sic). Give me the legal argument to support your position, and let's evaluate it. Perhaps the NFL thinks it is going to win totally in American Needle, but short of that there is no draft. stop it already! http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/story/10847836
RealityCheck Posted May 12, 2010 Posted May 12, 2010 The NFL has already stated there WILL be a draft so that ends the arguement. They issued a statement? Well that must make it true then? Of course since the NFL has not publicly stated that there will be a lockout then it might stand to reason that the same strategy applies to the draft. If they were to issue a statement today that there will be a lock out and thusly, no draft, then starting today millions of dollars would be left on the table and it would nullify all potential opportunities to make deals and cash in on televising the draft. Why admit before the final moment of truth that there will be a lockout. Think of how merchandising sales and distribution deals would be affected if they made these admissions when it wasn't necessary. The draft makes everyone involved a lot of big time cash. When a BILLION dollar entity gives a simple yes to a situation that is contingent upon many unknowns at this time; they don't even bother to elaborate for good reason. The more words they use would only create more questions and it would be harder to reverse their position in the future. Later on they could simply say, "well of course we wanted to come to a fair deal with players' union as quickly as possible, but we never anticipated their lack of cooperation in this matter given he dire economic times we are in. This lockout is the last thing that we thought would actually happen given the efforts of the owners in this matter. Unfortunately we were wrong." Indirectly they will leave it up to the players to play the PUBLIC fall guy for the reasons why there is a lockout and thusly no draft. None of us should bother to follow this that closely anyway. As time runs out most of what we hear will simply be smoke and mirrors and posturing between 2 extremely wealthy entities.
HansLanda Posted May 12, 2010 Posted May 12, 2010 They issued a statement? Well that must make it true then? Of course since the NFL has not publicly stated that there will be a lockout then it might stand to reason that the same strategy applies to the draft. If they were to issue a statement today that there will be a lock out and thusly, no draft, then starting today millions of dollars would be left on the table and it would nullify all potential opportunities to make deals and cash in on televising the draft. Why admit before the final moment of truth that there will be a lockout. Think of how merchandising sales and distribution deals would be affected if they made these admissions when it wasn't necessary. The draft makes everyone involved a lot of big time cash. When a BILLION dollar entity gives a simple yes to a situation that is contingent upon many unknowns at this time; they don't even bother to elaborate for good reason. The more words they use would only create more questions and it would be harder to reverse their position in the future. Later on they could simply say, "well of course we wanted to come to a fair deal with players' union as quickly as possible, but we never anticipated their lack of cooperation in this matter given he dire economic times we are in. This lockout is the last thing that we thought would actually happen given the efforts of the owners in this matter. Unfortunately we were wrong." Indirectly they will leave it up to the players to play the PUBLIC fall guy for the reasons why there is a lockout and thusly no draft. None of us should bother to follow this that closely anyway. As time runs out most of what we hear will simply be smoke and mirrors and posturing between 2 extremely wealthy entities. The 2011 draft will happen because it's part of the CURRENT CBA. Why continue to argue about it? Read all about it: http://www.docstoc.com/docs/20343876/NFL-C...ment-2006-2012/
Pete Posted May 12, 2010 Posted May 12, 2010 I am not looking forward to a lockout. Players are exploited more in the NFL then any other sport. Take a look at Earl Campbell or Merrill Hoge or just about any other ex NFL player and see how broken down their bodies are. The career expectancy of an NFL player is 3.3 seasons! Few contracts are guaranteed and there is always a younger, hungrier player waiting to take your position from you. The NFL really needs to get it together and start taking care the warriors that made the league
Casey D Posted May 12, 2010 Posted May 12, 2010 The 2011 draft will happen because it's part of the CURRENT CBA. Why continue to argue about it? Read all about it: http://www.docstoc.com/docs/20343876/NFL-C...ment-2006-2012/ You are correct--my bad. As long as it is in the CBA--and it is in Article 16-- it would be fine under Section 1. So there can be a draft in 2011, then no more under this CBA. I am not sure it really matters though, as the newly drafted players would be subject to any strike or lockout, unless I am missing something in this huge document, which is possible. All this does is keep the League functioning from a draft perspective so when things are finally resolved, hopefully before Spring 2012, there is not two years of drafting to do in terms of college players in the event of a long labor dispute.
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