Gimme Some Money!

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell (left) and NFLPA Exec. Director DeMaurice Smith (right)

With each passing day, it seems as though the situation with the CBA agreement between the NFL and the NFLPA continues to grow more and more sour. Today, the NFL filed a charge against the players' union, saying that "the union's strategy amounts to an unlawful anticipatory refusal to bargain", which is what the players' union was accusing the owners of, and so on and so forth...blah blah blah.

Let's get down to the nitty gritty on this, folks. Both sides are at fault here, but for equally understandable reasons. The owners want an 18-game schedule, which I do not see the point of other than pure monetary gain. The Packers averaged almost an IR player a game during the regular season, is 2 more games really necessary? It's no surprise the players want more money, since this is an economic play by the NFL. Let me tell you from experience (and this is just high school mind you), that football players are constantly playing through injury. I can't imagine taking some of those hits in the NFL, they must be absolutely aching by the end of the day. Medical bills are already high, and while they are covered mostly, they do have to pay a pretty penny. I know that if I had to risk two more games of possibly breaking my leg or whatever, I'd ask for more money too. It's entertainment, not war.

On other side though, the owners are afraid of giving the players one thing: more power. Look no further than baseball, folks. Albert Pujols wants $30 million a year. Think about that: 30 million dollars per YEAR. Over ten years. You'd be lucky to see that much money in a lifetime, let alone the $300 million he'll be looking for. No single player, no matter how good they are, is worth that much money. Half the players in baseball aren't even worth 25% of the money they make annually. This is the owners' fear: having the NFL turn into a league where the players can have their way with everything and command ungodly salaries that only large markets like New York and Los Angeles can afford. Every great player that came to the Packers would say 'sayonara' in an instant at the thought of making that much bank when he hit free agency. You would hate it, I would hate it, it'd be bad for football. Hell, it's bad for baseball, but nobody can do a thing about it right now.

So what do these guys need to do to ensure a season will be played in 2011? For lack of a better term: 'grow up'. This clash of egos is sickening. We get enough of it during the regular season with players and coaches talking smack (I'm looking at you, Rex Ryan). There is a middle ground that can be found between these two without making the owners look weak or the players look greedy. The NFL is in its prime right now, it's the top sport in America, and it's setting TV records left and right. The fans deserve better than this for all the loyalty and money the put into football, and it's time for both of them to sit down and talk it out like men. Right now, it seems like it's 50/50 whether or not there will be a season this year, but they'd be stupid to not play. Especially for Packer fans everywhere, the window is wide open for more winning behind the stellar play and leadership of Aaron Rodgers. Speaking of Packers' fans, it's interesting how little say they have in these matters when the team is in fact still publicly owned. I know how all the corporate mumbo jumbo works, but last I checked, Mark Murphy is technically the Packers' VICE president (even though he's constantly referred to as the 'president'). I wonder if some of the Packers' major stockholders really have any say. Not that it would really change anything, but just a curiosity. Either way, following the draft, I have a feeling it's going to be a long, long summer for the NFL.