In case you didn’t know, there’s a chance of no NFL football next year. This is because of the current labor disputes between NFL’s owners and players over salaries, the addition of two games to the schedule and the enormous rookie salaries. A lockout is possible if nothing gets settled by the March 4 deadline, leaving the owners no choice but to close the doors on the players.
With this situation edging closer to being a reality, I would like to let it be known to give the players what they want.
The NFL has a profit of $9 billion a year, which the owners currently take $1 billion off the top before splitting with the players. The players now want an equal split, but the owners see differently, demanding $2 billion off the top to be spent toward expanding the game to increase revenue.
While sacrificing the $2 billion now for increased profits in the future seems like a fair investment for both sides, it isn’t guaranteed and will take longer than the average three-year career of a player in the NFL. Basically, the owners want current players to take a salary cut that in the long run won’t benefit them at all.
Another issue is expanding the season from 16 games to 18. The proposal would turn two of the four-preseason games into regular season games, which others and myself would be a fan of. The football season just feels too short — especially compared to other sports — and the current four-game preseason gets boring. We fans want our football right away.
However, for the players, expanding the regular season will take the biggest toll. Regular season games are more physically grueling than preseason games, and they help them get ready for the upcoming season. The expansion could result in reducing the average three-year career to two.
The last major dispute is the ludicrous amounts of money spent on top ten draft picks. These rookies — who’ve yet to prove themselves — are making more than most veteran players. Both sides agree the current way rookies are handled is absurd, yet a compromise needs to be made. Putting a cap on the amount of money a rookie can sign for — such as making every rookie sign a three year contract and offering them the same bonuses no matter when they were drafted — would save money and in turn could be given to veteran players and retirees.
To me — even though the owners run the business — it’s still the players who play the game. The athletes in the NFL have been bred from a young age to play the game of football, without them there wouldn’t be any multi-billion dollar business. The players deserve fair compensation.
The good news is there’s still some time for compromise before the next football season starts. I just hope the NFL and its players can sort things out because it’s already tough enough not having football at our school. I couldn’t imagine how terrible life would be with no football at all.
Chasen Doerr is a junior journalism major and contributing writer for the Daily 49er.
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