Quote:
Originally Posted by Mattyk
Is the market really bad though? Outside of maybe a couple of teams attendance is stronger than ever, TV ratings through the roof, new stadiums all over, etc.
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Don't get me wrong. The NFL is a money making machine. They have so much money coming in different directions. But, I'm sure all the owners have seen a drop off in fans purchasing season passes. Maybe not the Skins so much because they have had a waiting list that lasts 10 yrs, but other markets ie; Carolina I think took a hit this last year as opposed to previous years, the Jaguars never seem to sell their place out either, I thought Chicago had trouble this year and there was talk of possible games not being shown on T.V. due to lack of # of seats sold.
I'm trying to relate it to any other business I guess. Think of your county you live in. Say the county knows it needs 10 mill a year to operate. Yet you vote in elected officials who promise to lower your county taxes. How will the county function? If it's taxes only brought in 8 mill after they lowered your taxes as promised how will they make up the other 2 mill? Most counties looked to the state in the past, but again every one voted in representatives who would lower our taxes. So because the state brings in less money less money gets filtered to the different counties. So where your county might have been expecting the state to step up and send 2 mill to them the state only sent 1 mill. Now your county is 1 mill in the hole. Who makes up for that?
In football jargen lets say all the owners came together and said on average each team makes about 500 mill a year. Some make more ie; Redskins, Dallas, Giants, and some make less ie; Carlina, Jaguars, and so on. The owners have decided that 6 mill will be what every team should have to work with so the more lucrative team owners send money to go teams that don't make the 600 mill in order to put them on equal footing with the more lucrative teams. but if fan attendance is declining due to the bad economy then the more lucrative teams can't send as much as they used to because they are not making as much.
and your right there probably isn't that much of a drop off and the owners are probably over embelishing things. Instead of the owners already taking 1 bill off the top and now asking for another 1 bill maybe they could have asked for 500 mill or 200 mill.
But you can't say times are not hard right now. I know people left and right losing their homes. clearly they wouldn't be purchasing season tickets nor going to games if they have bills to pay. I see people on here talking about turning their season passes back in simply because they can save a few bucks. I can also tell you I can't afford a top flight jersey and I'm sure with the economy others have started penny pinching as well. So in all actuality I can see the owners point. Maybe they can put a clause in the CBA that if the economy gets better and there is more fan attendance then the 1 bill goes back to the players, I don't know.
But I have yet to hear exactly how the 4 bill effects the players, how the 50% effects their wages, and why its so important to them. I know it is because they want to go to court over it but I'm just trying to figure out how. To me the owners have explained, the players I just can't see. Why I don't know. I'm all for the little man and in this case the fan is the little man. lol. JK. No the player would be the little man but each player negotiates what he is willing to play for, each year is spelled out what he will make, both sides sign the contract which is binding. So other then how the players contract is structured what additional monies would the players get that is effected by this 4 bill or 50%. I guessing nothing. The 50% is to force the really cheap owners (not Snyder) to start putting more money into players contracts and all I'm asking is ... is there really any teams out there not wanting to put the 50% in or rather I should say do those teams even have players? because anyone worth their weight in gold will want a really good contract. For an owner to be sitting at rock bottom not spending on the players they have to be really bad. Are we talking about the Bills?