Dreaded CBA

Is anyone else losing sleep over the current NFL labor issue? I can't be the only one that thinks important matters take place this time of year.

I am an optimistic chap, so I don't see this labor battle lasting too long. I feel that the one week extension agreed to last Friday is a promising sign. I think that it will end this week. I was actually hoping that it would end before the Flicker had a chance to run with it. Maybe, I should wait a day or two more.

I typically side with the player in these situations. Despite being very well paid, they tend to get the short end in pretty much everything. The players are the face of the league yet they have no say in which team drafts them, in which city they live and work. They have to play in that city for four years or more before they get a chance to pick their own home. Stastics show that the average NFL career is only about four years. The window to earn the big bucks is often so brief. Even after a 15 year career, a 35 year old player is ancient in this league. A football players career is over when most people are fresh in the middle of theirs. The NFL business is a very lucrative one. 9 billion a year and growing if some of the owners don't screw it up. Due to the brief career of the players, the only people guaranteed of these great profits for an extended period of time are the owners. Owning an NFL franchise is no longer a gamble. If one is wealthy enough to own an NFL franchise, increasing that wealth is guaranteed. The only thing that changes is the players that represent those teams. The pot being fought over is so huge that both parties should be ecstatic, not fighting.

It is unfortunate that the other group affected by this battle is one that has no say in the battle. Most fans won't care about this until it cuts into the games next fall. Some, like me, see the impact now. The players and owners had better see the fan's side. It's the fans that ultimately pay for the whole thing. In that respect, the players and owners work for us.