It looks like the players are ready to ratify the labor agreement today.
According to the agreement:
NFL The league’s timeline to kick off free agency and training camps has been adjusted, according to a high-ranking source. The procession of events, which awaited an NFL Players Association approval:
• Monday: Teams can sign their own free agents and begin talking with other unrestricted free agents. Teams can also begin talking trades. Any trades would become official Saturday.
• Tuesday: Teams can begin signing unrestricted free agents at noon ET but those contracts would not take effect until next Tuesday.
• Wednesday: Ten teams would report to training camps, begining a staggered schedule.
• Thursday: Ten more teams would report to training camps.
• Friday: Ten more teams would report to training camps.
• Sunday: The Jets and Texans would be the last two teams to report.
The basic financial terms of the agreement include:
That included how the more than $9 billion in annual league revenues will be divided (about 53 percent to owners and 47 percent to players over the next decade; the old CBA resulted in nearly a 50-50 split); a per-club cap of about $120 million for salary and bonuses in 2011 — and at least that in 2012 and 2013 — plus about $22 million for benefits; a salary system to rein in spending on first-round draft picks; and unrestricted free agency for most players after four seasons.
One thing that has never been included in all the discussions since the lockout began was the fans. What stake do the fans have in the fight between the millionaire players and the billionaire owners? $6.5 BILLION reasons it seems:
“Thirty-one of the 32 NFL stadiums have received direct public subsidies. Ten of those have been publicly financed and at least 19 are 75% publicly financed. All told, we’ve kicked in over $6.5 billion on NFL stadiums.”
An interesting site for more information is here.
That all being said: Go Bears!
I personally don’t care, which side “won” the lockout dispute. I am too selfish to care, because the resolution is a win for me as I get to watch football this year.
Agreed. All I care about is that we’re going to see football this season.
From the linked article:
Hard to imagine this was really eye opening to very many fans. Any adult fan of professional sports has known this for years.
Sort of. I imagine that is the big number, including the full value of the loans. But loans shouldn’t be counted dollar for dollar when their actually paid off. I don’t disagree with the last statement though – and certainly stinks for tax dollars to ultimately be funneled to billionaires (in any context, pro sports or otherwise). That said, the teams generate billions for the local economies – so you’re over a barrel. Pay up or lose that revenue and thousands of jobs.
To some degree, I get his point. But in practical terms, it’s irrelevant. In this day & age, it wouldn’t happen anyway. Owners don’t buy pro sports teams as an investment – at best they’re profitable (but in many cases, only when you actually sell it). If you have that much wealth and are set on making more, there are thousands of better ways to invest that will get you a better return/cash flow. They buy it like they buy a Bugatti Veyron – so they can show it off & the cache it gives them. When you slice up ownership thin enough, that motivation is gone. I just can’t imagine a scenario where the general public would be able to successfully pool enough money to buy a team. Let’s not forget, that it was a very unique set of circumstances that got the Packers where they are. And I’m even more skeptical that it could at all be managed successfully. That said, for an example of a community-owned team in another sport, check out the history of the Miss Madison powerboat racing team and watch Madison staring Jim Caviezel. Madison, Indiana, population 12,000 owns the unlimited hydro team.
Yup, that about sums up the situation.
You like the Bears? That explains a lot…
Yes! You’re ma boy, Jeff!
Boo! A plague on both your houses!
Yup. That plague is living in Packer country and putting up with their fans!
Boo!
Fly Eagles Fly! I will be going to the opening game in St. Louis to watch the stinking Rams lose! Woohooo!
all I can say is…..Go Packers!