The lockout stinks

Why? What purpose does it serve?

I may be wrong but I thought it was something to do with pay and the uncapped year?

A view from a few years ago which quotes the late Gene Upshaw ... but appears that they could be very right ...

[NFL Could Lockout Players in 2011
Pro Football Owners Don't Renew Labor Agreement With Players

The National Football League could face a work stoppage in 2011 if a new collective bargaining agreement isn't reached with the players.

The average sports fan couldn't care less about the labor troubles of professional sports leagues. All they care about are having the games played and broadcast on television or radio.

All of the major sports at one time or another had either player’ strikes or owners’ lockouts cancel games for most, or in some cases, the entire season.

The most recent case was the lockout of the 2004-05 season of the National Hockey League players. The Stanley Cup was not awarded that season, the first time since 1919 because of an influenza outbreak.

The Major League Baseball Strike of 1994 cancelled the World Series for the first time in 90 years, and the 1998-99 NBA lockout reduced that season to a 50-game schedule and playoffs.

Yet most football fans born after 1980 would have a hard time remembering the last time that the National Football League had games cancelled due to labor problems.

It’s been 21 years since the players’ strike of 1987 in which the owners used replacement players to break the union to end the impasse. Most veteran players crossed the picket line and the owners won a clear victory. Only one game was lost due to the walkout.

The union then decertified and fought the NFL in court. A new collective bargaining agreement with free agency and a salary cap was agreed upon in 1993 and the league has had peace ever since.

NFL announces it will not renew CBA
On Wednesday, May 21, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced that the league will not renew the current collective bargaining agreement with the players.

A renewal would have meant labor peace until 2013. Now, the CBA will expire after the 2010 season.

The 2008 and 2009 seasons will be played under the current CBA, but if an agreement is not reached by 2010, then the salary cap will expire. That means richer teams will outbid smaller market teams for players, much like is done in baseball.

Salaries could skyrocket.

Gene Upshaw, the head of the players union, has said. “Once the cap expires, it’s hard to see it ever coming back.”

Since the owners do not want to see the salary cap go by the wayside, a lockout could occur in 2011.

That’s four years away, but still should cause concern for football fans.

NFL games would be missed.
The cancellation of National Football League games would leave a huge void on Sunday afternoons in the fall and winter. Unlike the other sports, there is no television programming than can replace it.

Fans found out during the 1982 season just how much. NBC’s replacement programming included Canadian Football League games.

While the CFL is a quality league, most Americans did not view it as an alternative to the NFL. College football was still played on Saturdays, but after baseball season ended, Sundays brought nothing.

The 1982 season was reduced to a nine-game schedule and playoffs. The strike lasted 57 days, the equivalent of two months. Today, only people in their 40’s would remember what it was like.

NFL players union not as strong as baseball
The NFL players never had a strong union, not compared to baseball or basketball.

Major League Baseball players got free agency in 1975, yet it took the NFL until 1993 to introduce effective free agency.

Prior to that year, an NFL player could not sign with another team without the former team being compensated with a top round draft pick, something owners were wary to give up.

Few NFL players if any have guaranteed contracts. Most players get their money upfront in signing bonuses and even that is subject to being paid back if the player doesn’t fulfill most of his contract.

A player could be released by a team at anytime, regardless of the contract.

Despite that, NFL owners and players were happy with the current CBA until now. The owners are now saying it’s not working for them and that too much of the revenues are going to the players.

It’s going to be interesting to see how the parties work this one out.

No NFL football

There is no CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) between the teams from 2011.

If it is not agreed, there will be no football.

This is the last year of the CBA, hence the uncapped year.

It's about revenue sharing mainly. I can't really explain it as i've heard a lot from both sides and aren't really sure.

But the NFLPA have confused some players about the premise of the uncapped years.

There is more money for the players.

There is no salary cap. But, there is no salary floor.

Teams can spend the minimum on their 53 players and leave it at that. That would be a way of getting the maximum money.

The better players can be cut with no effect against the cap and it doesn't hurt the team.

I've been trying to find an explanation about the Uncapped year, but can't find a decent one. But will keep going.

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-super-...B-XLIV-1st-Qtr

1:05 - Payton tells Mike Perreira about the onside kick.

I thought my post explained it quite well Paul, did for me anyway .. :p

That's what I meant ;)

Another thing is, the NFL teams will be paid for the TV rights for 2011 whether there is football or not. So they have room to wait.

And I think DeMaurice Smith will not crack either which is why I feel that the lockout is coming.

So put it in simple terms?

in simple terms, the owners are curretly restricted how much, or how little they can pay a player. with the CBA out of the window while its possible some players might command huge pay from teams with big 'markets' (think new york vs say tampa bay for the amount of revenue it can generate) its far more likely the owners will offer much less to most players out of contract.

why would they pay less rather than more and try to win it all?, with the prospect of no season the year after next the owners will need to save every penny they can with the prospect of no revenue in two years time to prevent themselves going out of business, it also means less money in the players pockets therefore meaning less players can afford to hold out long.

why might there be a lockout, think cashley cole, coming to the end of his mega bucks contract, protected by the CBA to have a very similar offer, suddenly finding his boss and every other boss will only offer him two bob a week...!!

So what is the likelihood of this actually happening then?

Actually I think i need the CBA explained to me as well

Chances are quoted as 100% in some reports ... :eek:

Some people have told me 80%.

And players that have spoke rank it very likely.

And in terms of closeness to an agreement between the NFLPA and Owners, DeMaurice Smith rated it in terms of 1 to 10, with 1 being a certain deal, he rated it as a 14. Not so good.

Swaany - I got it from this ... :p

oh man, that's an essay!

It's not as bad as it looks ... quite easy reading ...

Lets face it, it wont happen that there is no football in 2011. It just won;t, for everything you say, they will work something out. They can't afford not to.

The problem is, they can afford to.

The owners can especially. They are getting paid their TV money regardless.