your thoughts on the potential nfl lockout.

[paul.]

makes me furious.  rich players and even richer owners at odds about money and increased risk of getting hurt in an 18 game season.  meanwhile soldiers, cops, firemen, and other people who actually do something meaningful and run the same if not more risk of injury sometimes live paycheck to paycheck.  i love my football as much as anyone, but if all these millionaires can't get together and avoid a lockout, it will sicken me.  rant over.

[bassfisherjk]

Agree with you 100% Paul.

[BassChaser57]

Just a few of thoughts;

1. What is the point about threatening a lockout just days after the Superbowl and everybody has gone home. Locked out from what? Nobody is even supposed to show up anyway.

2. Law Enforcement and Firefighters to my knowledge have full medical and disability coverage in case of injury on the job. They know and accept the risks and benefits. I NEVER want anyone to get hurt protecting us.

3.The guys I stay concerned about are the guys working for companies that do not have benefits of any kind. That can make for some tough times.

4. IMHO in the U.S. we can choose to get the education/skills to prosper. Yes we can loose our job in this economy but as my mother says "we live by the decisions we made in our yesterdays." If we choose to not improve our job skills, life can be tough.

5. There is so much money floating around the NFL it is hard to comprehend for me.

P.S. I FULLY admire Firefighters, Paramedics, and Soldiers for the service they provide and am grateful for them.

[SirSnookalot]

I play the hand I'm dealt, as much as I love NFl I'll just do something else, not a big deal.

This situation is no different than any other union negotiation, I won't judge it from the sidelines.

I do not know the terms of the NFL contract with their healthcare provider, what they are covered for while playing, non working illness or injury and, coverages for their family and most important after their career is over.

The guys I stay concerned about are the guys working for companies that do not have benefits of any kind. That can make for some tough times.

It's been settled !!

[Sam]

March 4th is a major date. No agreement, or understanding by March 4th and the owners will pull the plug.

This year the owners are unified and backing their position. It will be interesting to hear if they change their profile.

The issue has nothing to do with our heroes who protect us each day. It focuses on the players wants and monetary rewards vs. the owners' financial solvency.

Yes, there is a lot of money in professional football and the players want more. Please do not fault them for that.

The football players have a very short careers and they can earn as much as the market will bear for their services. This is the way it works.

Personally, I lost all interest when baseball and ice hockey went on strike and to this day I have not watched an entire major league baseball game nor any NHL games other than for watching the Flyers play a few periods, now and then when they are on TV.

March 4th. Stay tuned.  >

[Quillback]

They'd be stupid to let this get to a point where they screw up next season.  The NFL is a money making machine, keep it tuned up but don't turn it off.

They also need to drop the idea of an 18 game season, 2 more games will just add more players to IR.

[firefightn15]

As a young teenager I remember having about the same feelings during the '81 baseball strike.  I've never felt the same about the game since.

[Tin]

The football players have a very short careers and they can earn as much as the market will bear for their services. This is the way it works.

And it would make zero sense for them to take advantage of the free-rides they earn in college and get a degree they can do something with after football when they have to live like the Average Joe....

[grimlin]

I don't agree with an 18 game season either.

But a lockout is gonna suck.It could even have an impact on the economy as well here. Just think about that.

[South FLA]

NFL players are not a dime a dozen and the chances of getting to that level are extremely small, when compared to a servicemen. Also, the NFL is a privately run group with multimillionaire franchise business owners that have a nationally watched and desired product, football. The mass media is also responsible for elevating the demand for the NFL, thus high salary for players and rich owners. So not to sound harsh although public service workers are a special breed, they are not highly specialized and as sought after as talented football players, just a cruel fact of life.

As far as the lockout goes here is the player's perspective:

http://www.nfllockout.com/what-is-this-lockout-about/

As an aside roughly 75% of NFL players are BROKE within 2 years of leaving the NFL, so although they are very specialized in talent, most if not all players are financial disasters waiting to happen, unlike the franchise owners. If the players were actually smart people they would plan to pay for their longterm health coverage, they have the money! Additionally, this says something about NFL player's belief in our new healthcare system, do they not believe it would take care of them! What the player's fail to mention is that healthcare coverage for them is expensive and if you take cost of it into account for all players that played in the NFL that retire or no longer play for a reason the expenses add up to the point that the fiscal burden placed on the NFL for paying for healthcare becomes so great that eventually its no longer viable. This is one of the major reason why municipalities,state health plans, private companies, etc.  are BROKE, just like the players!

[Tin]

As an aside roughly 75% of NFL players are BROKE within 2 years of leaving the NFL

So is it the owners fault the players cannot manage their money and decide to buy Lambo's and spend it all?

[South FLA]

As an aside roughly 75% of NFL players are BROKE within 2 years of leaving the NFL

So is it the owners fault the players cannot manage their money and decide to buy Lambo's and spend it all?

Not at all, its the player's fault.  Most are windfall millionaires so they don't have the right mindset and go broke.  I am sure the NFL or even their agents try to teach them fiscal discipline, but remember these are highly specialized individuals that usually are lacking in smarts.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Why-do-so-many-NFL-players-go-bankrupt-?urn=nfl-190555

[done]

I am a creature of habit. One thing they can count on, if this next season goes south, I will be out of the habit of watching football and probably won't ever come back . Like the NHL and MLB when they decide to go the same route. At least that means more time to fish.

[ROCbass]

I really hope that the dispute gets resolved before games have to be interrupted, although I don't see much reason to believe that this will be the case at this point. The one silver lining I can see is that if there is a lockout, it might drive enough fans away to convince the teams that lower ticket and merchandise prices are needed to win fans back. Again though, I don't really see this happening even though its the best case scenario if there's a lockout. For every person the league drives away with a lockout, there will be others who will gladly take their place, especially in cities like Green Bay with enormous season ticket waiting lists. The NFL isn't like MLB or the NHL, and I don't think a labor stoppage will have the same effect that it had in those sports. The NFL is much more popular, and the opportunity to see games in a 16 game season with individual game playoffs is much less than in a 162 or 82 game season with best of seven playoffs. Because of the popularity of the league and the limited opportunity to see games, I think if the league takes a year off instead of driving fans away, they will be climbing the walls to get back into the stadiums when football comes back.  Baseball and hockey were easier to ignore because they were less popular to begin with and with so many games, people approach them with the attitude that they will get around to seeing one eventually, instead of making it a point to go. Even in hockey, which is a fringe sport in much of the country, teams in traditionally strong hockey markets had no problem selling out games  shortly after the work stoppage. The entire country is a traditionally strong football market. If there is a lockout, no matter the outcome as far as the arrangement between owners and players, the biggest losers will be the fans. Unfortunately, instead of taking a stand and seeing what the league will do for us to win us back, I bet too many of us will just be glad to have football back, and let the league continue to charge ridiculous amounts for merchandise and tickets.

[Daniel My Brother]

The idea that sounds interesting to me is one where they play an 18 week season, but each player is only allowed to play in 17 games. This would allow a chance for the walking wounded to get an extra week of rest, it would also add a little intrigue to the season. Imagine if it's week 15 and your team is on the playoff bubble...and your QB hasn't missed a game yet.

Bottom line, if they don't play because they can't figure out how to share a bazillion dollars, then they're all idiots.

[senile1]

Come on, Daniel. Get a shave.

We have a bunch of rich owners who only want more, and we have a bunch of athletes who make enough money to fish for the rest of their lives after football (or whatever their hobby is). Unfortunately, as stated by others, many players don't handle their money very well. I can't agree with the 18 game season either. The owners state that it is still only 20 games counting two preseason games, but we're talking two more real games where the starters have to play all out unlike in the preseason.  If paying for healthcare for these athletes is a problem I can't see that making them play 18 games a season will help in that regard.

[bwell]

They should cut all their salaries...  If they don't want to play football for what they are getting payed now, kick them out of the NFL and let someone else come in that WANTS to play.  Most of them are over paid IMHO....

[roadwarrior]

March 4th is a major date. No agreement, or understanding by March 4th and the owners will pull the plug.

This year the owners are unified and backing their position. It will be interesting to hear if they change their profile.

The issue has nothing to do with our heroes who protect us each day. It focuses on the players wants and monetary rewards vs. the owners' financial solvency.

Yes, there is a lot of money in professional football and the players want more. Please do not fault them for that.

The football players have a very short careers and they can earn as much as the market will bear for their services. This is the way it works.

Personally, I lost all interest when baseball and ice hockey went on strike and to this day I have not watched an entire major league baseball game nor any NHL games other than for watching the Flyers play a few periods, now and then when they are on TV.

March 4th. Stay tuned. >

The bottom line is that there is a HUGE pile

of dough to be divided up. How they "share"

means nothing to me or most fans.

Like Sam, I was a baseball fan and season ticket

holder with the Royals and later, Rockies. I have

not watched a game since the World Series Strike.

>

p.s. The NFL Channel must be outlawed. The

public subsidies the teams in most cities with

not only stadiums but infrastructure and security.

The NFL should not be allowed to restrict viewership.

[lightsout]

They will work something out, even if concessions are made. There is simply too much $ to be lost if theres a stoppage.

[Grey Wolf]

I would feel sorry for the little people that depend on their lively hoods but other than that I do not care about rich vs. richer.

[bwell]

I would feel sorry for the little people that depend on their lively hoods but other than that I do not care about rich vs. richer.

Very true...  If they need more money because they don't know how to save it, its not the owners problem...  Kick them to the curb, and let me try to make more money doing something else.

[deaknh03]

if I had to side with someone, it would be the players. The owners aren't the ones limping for the rest of their lives after getting hammered for a couple years. That being said, it would seem the smart thing to do would be play a couple years, collect your money and get out. A couple players have done that, I remember Robert Smith from the Vikings doing it a couple years ago, but I think most players spend too much or just love the game too much. I do feel bad for the asst coaches and the other periphery workers that will be out of work, the equipment managers,the stadium workers etc.

[Fishing Rhino]

I say, goodbye and good riddance. I gave up on professional stick and ball sports when they had the "substitute season" NFL back in the eighties. Both sides are crybabies, whining about how tough they have it.

If pro football is so hazardous, and it is, then do something else. Too bad that they have to make a lifetime of earnings in four or five years.

Unrealistic and outrageous salaries, profits and venues only increase ticket prices to the fans. At some point they will be hit with reality. See NASCAR.

If you are a diehard football, baseball etc., you have my sympathy. I feel badly for the fans, but have nothing but disgust for the owners and the players. The owners, paying outrageous salaries to even mediocre players are as much to blame for this sorry state of affairs.

Both sides need a serious dose of reality. As long as tv ratings are high, and the stadiums are full nothing will change.

The above opinion comes from one who lived and died with the NY Giants from the 1950s until the year the NFL played the season with substitute players.

Neither the players nor the owners give a d**n about the fans, despite their words to the contrary.

[grimlin]

I say, goodbye and good riddance. I gave up on professional stick and ball sports when they had the "substitute season" NFL back in the eighties. Both sides are crybabies, whining about how tough they have it.

If pro football is so hazardous, and it is, then do something else. Too bad that they have to make a lifetime of earnings in four or five years.

Unrealistic and outrageous salaries, profits and venues only increase ticket prices to the fans. At some point they will be hit with reality. See NASCAR.

If you are a diehard football, baseball etc., you have my sympathy. I feel badly for the fans, but have nothing but disgust for the owners and the players. The owners, paying outrageous salaries to even mediocre players are as much to blame for this sorry state of affairs.

Both sides need a serious dose of reality. As long as tv ratings are high, and the stadiums are full nothing will change.

The above opinion comes from one who lived and died with the NY Giants from the 1950s until the year the NFL played the season with substitute players.

Neither the players nor the owners give a d**n about the fans, despite their words to the contrary.

The entire world is all about making money.Common business practice.We live and die trying to make money.It's not gonna get better,but much worst.The world is only going to get greedier.

[done]

I say, goodbye and good riddance. I gave up on professional stick and ball sports when they had the "substitute season" NFL back in the eighties. Both sides are crybabies, whining about how tough they have it.

If pro football is so hazardous, and it is, then do something else. Too bad that they have to make a lifetime of earnings in four or five years.

Unrealistic and outrageous salaries, profits and venues only increase ticket prices to the fans. At some point they will be hit with reality. See NASCAR.

If you are a diehard football, baseball etc., you have my sympathy. I feel badly for the fans, but have nothing but disgust for the owners and the players. The owners, paying outrageous salaries to even mediocre players are as much to blame for this sorry state of affairs.

Both sides need a serious dose of reality. As long as tv ratings are high, and the stadiums are full nothing will change.

The above opinion comes from one who lived and died with the NY Giants from the 1950s until the year the NFL played the season with substitute players.

Neither the players nor the owners give a d**n about the fans, despite their words to the contrary.

I agree. Same thing with the 400 who did not get their seats after traveling across the country to get there. The NFL looks at it like a minor inconvenience while to the working stiff you are talking a MAJOR investment in air travel, hotels, meals, ticket price, PTO from work for a once in a lifetime chance to see YOUR team play. They you get there and they make you wait 3 hours to tell you they are not going to seat you.

That whole episode along with the lockup nonsense shows how little any of them care about the fans.

I mean really if they cared they would sign on for binding arbitration and settle this now. I mean consider, even the "loser" of this argument is going to come out a millionaire. That is almost sickening.