The NFL Is Trying To Kill Itself

[Nate505]

Yeah, Pat Bowlen is really took a risk building the new Mile High Stadium. Oh wait, he didn't. He whined and cried that the city needed a new stadium and then hinted that he was going to move the team to LA if it didn't get built, and the city paid for 75% of the stadium thru taxes while Bowlen payed 25% of the costs. The players don't need to take the risk. They are the product on the field. Products don't take risks. This is different from some yutz working at Walmart. Nobody goes to Walmart for an employee. They go there for the products that the store sells. But people want NFL for the players almost exclusively. When the Colts play the Saints next year the talk will be about Manning and Brees, not Irsay and whoever owns the Saints.

Has any NFL owner completely paid for their own stadium? That's the biggest risk they take, and even then they seem to foot most of the bill to the taxpayer. I have not seen one compelling reason from them why the CBA they've been working with for the past five years is not good for them.

 

[candrew]

I side with the owners. They are the ones taking all the financial risks, building/upkeeping stadiums and trying to further the brand of their franchise. Players get paid whether tickets are being sold or not.

With the exception of the New Meadowlands where The Jets and Giants play every new stadium has been built with at least some public money. Jerry Jones moved The Cowboys out of Arlington because the city would not agree to a sales tax hike to build that gaudy piece of crap he calls a stadium.

Becoming an NFL owner is like winning the billionaires lotterty - the league is run like a socialistic utopia with a **** ton of money split equally.

 

[gregbroncs]

Yeah, Pat Bowlen is really took a risk building the new Mile High Stadium. Oh wait, he didn't. He whined and cried that the city needed a new stadium and then hinted that he was going to move the team to LA if it didn't get built, and the city paid for 75% of the stadium thru taxes while Bowlen payed 25% of the costs. The players don't need to take the risk. They are the product on the field. Products don't take risks. This is different from some yutz working at Walmart. Nobody goes to Walmart for an employee. They go there for the products that the store sells. But people want NFL for the players almost exclusively. When the Colts play the Saints next year the talk will be about Manning and Brees, not Irsay and whoever owns the Saints.

Has any NFL owner completely paid for their own stadium? That's the biggest risk they take, and even then they seem to foot most of the bill to the taxpayer. I have not seen one compelling reason from them why the CBA they've been working with for the past five years is not good for them.

The biggest risk they take is paying for all the expenses to run a football franchise and have the expenses on all of these items go up while taking less than half the profit. All the risk, 40% of the reward. The owners ditched 18 games, they offered to help with retired players and they offered to open the league audit books (something fellow owners are not even allowed to see). All they were unwilling to offer was a 60% cut of their profit. The players got everything they were asking for except were asked to make less money. They rejected it. The owners are making less money but the players were unwilling to accept even partial burden for increased expenses.

 

[7StraightIsGreat]

Yeah, Pat Bowlen is really took a risk building the new Mile High Stadium. Oh wait, he didn't. He whined and cried that the city needed a new stadium and then hinted that he was going to move the team to LA if it didn't get built, and the city paid for 75% of the stadium thru taxes while Bowlen payed 25% of the costs. The players don't need to take the risk. They are the product on the field. Products don't take risks. This is different from some yutz working at Walmart. Nobody goes to Walmart for an employee. They go there for the products that the store sells. But people want NFL for the players almost exclusively. When the Colts play the Saints next year the talk will be about Manning and Brees, not Irsay and whoever owns the Saints.

Has any NFL owner completely paid for their own stadium? That's the biggest risk they take, and even then they seem to foot most of the bill to the taxpayer. I have not seen one compelling reason from them why the CBA they've been working with for the past five years is not good for them.

I never said public money was not used, and I never said NFL owners aren't douche-bags (Bowlen especially). And while I will admit that it is a player driven league, the league will still be here as the players come and go. Right now it's Manning, Brees and Brady. 20 years ago it was Montana, Marino and Elway. Players come and go but the daily costs of running a franchise and keeping it relevent do not. Who is left to pick up the pieces in Indy, attempt to find a new face for the franchise and keep season ticket sales afloat after Peyton retires? Obviously it's not Peyton's problem, those issues belong to the franchise itself.

I won't go over them again because Gregbroncs has pointed it out in a few posts, but the owners were willing to bend on several key issues including the amount of money being given back to the players. The players will try to win the fans heart's and make them all believe it's about their health and being taken care of long term but at the end of the day it's an attempt for them to keep their hands on as much salary as possible.

 

[cowhide]

How many people have and will continue to shell out hundreds of dollars a year for Sunday Ticket? Or thousands of dollars for season tickets? If the fan takes that $ away, would it make a difference?

That is my point, if enough fans quit buying tickets and jerseys, food, etc then the owners and players would have to take notice. However, the problem is there is a long line of fans who bitch about rich people arguing over $$$$$, then once things are settled they start spending their money on the NFL again. Owners and Players never worry about the fans coming back so that is one reason it isn't a consideration in the negotiations. Neither side cares about the fans. They just want to get their money.

 

[7StraightIsGreat]

That is my point, if enough fans quit buying tickets and jerseys, food, etc then the owners and players would have to take notice. However, the problem is there is a long line of fans who bitch about rich people arguing over $$$$$, then once things are settled they start spending their money on the NFL again. Owners and Players never worry about the fans coming back so that is one reason it isn't a consideration in the negotiations. Neither side cares about the fans. They just want to get their money.

It's very true that as soon as this is over, most fans will come running back. I don't think I'll be one of them. While I'll still be a Dolphin fan (please, don't laugh) I find myself enjoying college football more and more and that was before the lockout. With Utah going to the PAC12 it makes it even more interesting to me. For the first time in 6 years I didn't get the NFL Sunday Ticket this past season and doubt I will ever get it again. I've traveled to a few Dolphin games over the years and I don't think I'll be doing that anymore either. If I'm going to travel to a football game, I'd much rather go see Utah @ USC or Oregon, etc. This lockout isn't stopping me completely from being an NFL fan, but it sure is pushing my interests into other directions.

 

[carolinajazz]

...I sympathize with football players more than basketball players. They go through a lot of pain and their careers are short. However, football players are the dumbest athletes in the professional world, thus hard to sympathize with them, too. Anybody who lines up OFF SIDES.....or illegally blocks an opponent CLEAR ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FIELD, 25 yards away from the ball....should only make thousands, not millions! NBA players are by far, the most overpaid athletes in professional sports! Plus, there off court activities are beyond pathetic and they look like pukes to boot! Hope they get locked out until they're back to making minimum wage....which is what most of them would be making if not for the NBA!

 

[YB85]

*their

 

[The-Joker]

...I sympathize with football players more than basketball players. They go through a lot of pain and their careers are short. However, football players are the dumbest athletes in the professional world, thus hard to sympathize with them, too. Anybody who lines up OFF SIDES.....or illegally blocks an opponent CLEAR ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FIELD, 25 yards away from the ball....should only make thousands, not millions! NBA players are by far, the most overpaid athletes in professional sports! Plus, there off court activities are beyond pathetic and they look like pukes to boot! Hope they get locked out until they're back to making minimum wage....which is what most of them would be making if not for the NBA!

Your proof sir?

 

[Champzz]

This.

If they lock out long enough they will learn another law of economics: the substitution effect.

Yeah, that's not how that works. Did you actually take economics, or did you just learn that on wikipedia just now.