The current Collective Bargaining Agreement has been extended on several occasions, most recently in March 2006. That extension, which could have continued through the 2012 season, gave both the NFL and the NFLPA an option to shorten the deal by one or two years. Owners decided to take the maximum cut in the agreement. The league has created a $900 million fund to help the owners during a lockout.
NFL owners make $9 billion a year from league revenue, and this was their biggest year. That would conservatively put the revenues at $10 billion this year, over $312 million for the average team. “Smart money” says the NFL made more this year. We don’t know that for sure. The owners refuse to release their financial statements. There is one exception, the Green Bay Packers are owned by the city, so their statement is available. By their accounts, everything is going well.
With a median salary of $818,265 and a team valued at $1,650,000,000, Dallas Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones wants a pay cut from the players, as well as two more football games to increase revenue further.
Here is how wonderful the collective bargaining agreement was for everyone:
http://www.americanprogressaction.org/issues/2010/09/nfl_labor_agreement.html
Malcolm Gladwell’s story on the brutality of both dog fighting and the NFL can be found here:
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/10/19/091019fa_fact_gladwell
The average NFL player plays just 3.5 seasons and loses two to three years off his life expectancy for every season played. Here we find the true price players pay to play. Owners must believe that price is not enough.
I believe I hear the Green Bay Packers joining the teachers, singing "On Wisconsin."
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