Speaking of football, the NFLPA is readying itself for a lockout

[Missy Vixen]

I interrupt our regularly scheduled flamefest to present the following. The NFLPA is now advising players to start saving money; they believe there will be a lockout by owners in 2011.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/trainingcamp09/news/story?id=4404636&campaign=rss&source=ESPNHeadlines

>NFL officials insist they want a new labor deal.

The players association is convinced league owners are after something else: A lockout in 2011.

NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith told reporters at the Colts' training camp Monday morning that he expects owners to impose a lockout in two years and has begun advising players on how to prepare for it.

"They want to lock us out in 2011, so our drop dead date is when our players say 'What do I do when my family needs health care?' " Smith said while making the latest stop on his league-wide tour. "All of us are sitting back waiting to hear why they walked away from a deal that generated $8 billion."<

Obviously, not everyone here watches the NFL, but any NFL lockout will immediately put the 100,000 people who work at stadiums and in NFL front offices around the country out of work.

[Captain Hilts]

1. Not smart. The NFL doesn't want to open its books. It's actually secret how much money it has. nt

[Missy Vixen]

3. The new leader of the NFLPA

is actually a lawyer. There's been some REALLY interesting articles lately about his consciousness-raising meetings with guys in the league.

Imagine my surprise to learn that my Seattle Seahawks had NO idea the stadium they play in was financed by taxpayers, for instance.

In the meantime, it's not the players and owners that will suffer. It's the people that work at the stadiums, concessions, customer esrvice reps, etcetera, that will.

[Captain Hilts]

6. Stadium folks don't suffer as much in football as in baseball because of the number of

games. The baseball strike hurt bars, restaurants, the homeless that clean the stadiums, etc. It hurt a lot of 'little' folk. A football strike, not so much.

[Missy Vixen]

7. Right now, it will

Would you think it wasn't that big a deal if you were told you'd lose the oh, five months of income a year from working during the NFL season? The Seahawks are also paying their event staff to handle the training camp duties right now. There's lots of people out of work. Why add to it?

[donco6]

2. Somehow, unions for filthy rich amoral adolescents -

just don't wring a lot of sympathy out of me. My bad.

[Missy Vixen]

4. Maybe you should feel sorry for the friends and neighbors

that work at the stadium, work for the various sports teams, etcetera.

There's 100,000 of them across the country.

[donco6]

5. All the more reason for the children to shut up and play ball.

Sorry, no sympathy here.

[Missy Vixen]

8. Why should they take less money

because the owners are greedy?

We hear about multi-million dollar salaries, but the injury rate in the NFL is 100%. If you had the opportunity to make that kind of money, wouldn't you do it?

The lockout is projected to be over the percentage owners take off the top, which right now is 60%. Owners get tax-subsidized stadiums. The NFL is considered a 501c-7. In other words, owners clean up and they're giving the players a FRACTION of what they earn. Is that fair?

Unions represent everyone, not just the people you like. IMHO, YMMV.

[donco6]

9. Just . . . barf.

Sorry, that's all I got.

[anigbrowl]

10. I'm guessing the NFLPA won't be demanding those people get paid more

Just a hunch. Call me when the player's association starts complaining about the stadium works' pay, instead of just using them as collateral. I'm fine with them asking for money money or demanding cheaper ticket prices or whatever, but I don't really think they give two hoots about the stadium staff.

[Missy Vixen]

14. The biggest fight will be over rookie compensation

The owners think they can lock the players out? They'll kill their golden goose.

[Auggie]

15. These rookie contracts are ruining football

NFL teams don't want to draft high for fear of paying exorbitant salaries to untested players. When they do you end up with holdouts like Michael Crabtree.

[Missy Vixen]

16. Let's put it this way

I was one of the people arguing against drafting Crabtree on Seahawks fans sites. There was plenty of indication that the holdout was going to happen before it did, and frankly, I don't think he's going to be all that for several different reasons. We're going to have two first-round draft picks this year, and we have to find a quarterback. I'm not sure how Ruskell (GM of the Seahawks,) is going to pull this one off. We're already paying Aaron Curry a metric buttload of cash, too. Our first round draft pick from last year was supposed to be the DE of the future; I'm not impressed.

Yeah, rookie contracts are ruining football. When a guy who's never stepped foot on any NFL field can make more than a guy who's been in the league 10 years, there's a problem.

[Freddie Stubbs]

11. This will be devastating to the pit bull breeding and strip club industries

[donco6]

12. -snicker-

You got that right.

Like your blue dog.

[EvolveOrConvolve]

13. There's nothing like a pissing contests between billionaires and millionaires

I love watching NFL football, but a lockout would sour my view on a quite a bit.

[NJmaverick]

17. This is pretty common when there is a contract coming up

both sides prepare for a strike while working to prevent one.