NFLPA Fires First Shot 

by Scott Weiss

The NFLPA fired the first shot to start their new war with the NFL over TV revenues and the potential impact on the upcoming labor negotiations.  The NFLPA filed a complaint charging that the NFL did not try to maximize TV revenue during the past two seasons because they knew they would have to share profits with the players, and also that the NFL will stand to make $4 Billion from the new TV contract even if there is a work stoppage in 2011.  So, how does this all impact sports fans?

On the first part of the complaint regarding the charge that the NFL did not try to maximize revenue over the past two seasons, I take the side of neither the owners nor players.  I truly do not care how these two rich kids split up the billions in question.  However, point two should be critically important to all sports fans.  What kind of motivation will the owners have if they will be receiving $4 Billion even if there is not a season played in 2011?  Is there any way that there will be a sense of urgency from the owner’s side if they know that they have the TV revenue safety net to fall back on?  On this front, I agree with the players that the owners are playing dirty pool.

Once again, it would be the loyal football fans who get the short end of the stick in this high stakes poker game.  It is important to remind people that the NFL collective bargaining agreement expires in March 2011.  If unchecked by sports fans as represented by SFC, the NFL and NFLPA will drag us through the mud over the next nine months to either come to a new collective bargaining agreement at the 11^th hour or bring the game to screeching halt with a work stoppage. 

This is the first battle in the professional sports collective bargaining wars of 2011.  Rather than hanging our heads, sports fans should see this as the best opportunity to establish a powerful and united coalition of sports fans to change the way the sports industry operates forever.

Scott Weiss is the Local Chapter Chair for SFC-New York/New Jersey.  He has been involved in the sports fans advocacy movement since 2000.  He is a life long fan of the Mets, Jets, Knicks, and Rangers.

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Through a twist of events, two class-action law suits against EA Sports and the NCAA have frozen production of a new video game in the final year of the contract between the two parties. Former college players have joined together to sue for the use of their likenesses ‘without permission or compensation’. 

While sports fans are not the beneficiaries of this lawsuit and therefore do not stand to gain much if the lawsuit is decided in the former players’ favor (as it appears to be heading in that direction) fans will be effected on a micro level if they are not provided the video game to purchase and play this year, and on a macro level, if players start to receive compensation for their role in college athletics, and the business therein. 

The initial suit was filed by former ASU & Nebraska starting quarterback Sam Keller in May 2009, and has caused EA to halt production of any and all NCAA Basketball video games as the costs to produce them has increased in tandem with their legal fees. The basis for the former college athlete’s standing in the video game case resides in the NFL Players Association’s $21 million settlement with Players, Inc. which used the likenesses of its retired athletes without compensation.

The former players have relied upon upstanding representation in the form of college-hero-turned-car-salesman Ed O’Bannon. The former UCLA star makes some great points in this Rivals Radio article on Yahoo Sports.

While the debate will likely rage on as to whether or not college athletes should be paid, there is no question that NCAA Basketball if BIG business, and the proceeds of which currently end up in the hands of tax-exempt universities and colleges which are happy to pass on any additional costs or lack of of revenue to consumers; sports fans need to be acutely aware of the potential implications of these court cases. 

Our unified power lies in our ability to motivate our representatives in Congress and in state legislatures across the country to push for sports fans to be respected and treated fairly whether we are purchasing tickets at our alma mater’s box office or online, watching the game on TV, or controlling Derrick Rose or John Wall with joysticks in hand.

It appears to be an exciting matchup of two equally potent teams on offense led by prolific quarterbacks that even Brett Favre would acknowledge are the best in the game and deserving to take home the Vince Lombardi trophy to open this new decade. 

While the excitement of the big game builds, it’s important to remember that we are heading into an upcapped year and a lockout in 2011 is imminent. Not trying to be ‘Debbie Downer’, but it’s true.  From a fans perspective, the owners – who have up until now done their best impression of G. Gordon Liddy at the Watergate hearings – better extend the olive branch to players to get this deal done. 

Roger Goodell was seen pleading with both sides for the sake of the game as he delivered his State of the League address to media on Friday. To clarify, Goodell has a vested interest here as his legacy will take a major hit if he is not successful in this plea, and don’t forget SmartMoney’s ‘Thing 10′ in its article ‘10 Things the NFL Won’t Tell You’:

“It’s just a business to us.”

In other sports business news, New York sports fans are well aware of the third new stadium construction project – following the Yankees and Mets new buildings – subsidized with taxpayer funds housing the Giants and Jets.  To signal the end of an era, demo crews have begun their work on the old venue in earnest.

Remember Cincinnati’s Nasty Tax Obligations, well the Bengals are offering to let Hamilton County off the hook with some concessions, paying 1-3 million a year in rent and upkeep of Paul Brown Stadium while seeking to have the county offers up proceeds from other events and a little political support in convincing  the city of Cincinnati to arrange a similar deal with the team. Stay tuned to SFC for updates.

Coming full circle, Miami local leaders are criticizing Dolphins owner Stephen Ross for seeking tax money to put a roof on Sun Life Stadium, home of tonight’s Super Bowl. And rightfully so. The roof would help Miami get another Super Bowl bid, but is it worth it? 

The best quote to sum up a definitive answer to this quandry comes from Victor Matheson, a sports economist at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass, who co-wrote a 2004 paper on the big game’s economic impact:

“You could host a Super Bowl every year for the next 20 and be lucky to recoup your costs.”

Enough said.

South Florida has typically great weather for BIG events such as the cultural phenomenon we call the Super Bowl. Each year, the media frenzy grows to a new astounding and inconceivable level, and hosting the Super Bowl is a highly coveted ‘privelidge’ that is fought over year after year. 

While flipping through all the feel-good stories, a story about an ‘umbrella’ catches one’s attention. Could it be? Rain on this day of utmost importance, the holy of holies? How will we truly know which team deserves the top trophy if the Super Bowl is played while hydroplaning on an inch of water?

After further review, this ‘umbrella’ was actually referring to the team’s interest in putting a new roof on Sun Life Stadium (recently changed from Land Shark Stadium), home of the Dolphins, as part of a new series of upgrades required by the NFL to continue to host future Super Bowls. 

The word shark may have left the stadium’s name, but not the team’s legal department working on funding this umbrella. Guess who they would have pay for it all. That’s right, the taxpayers.

It is fair to assume that if the Miami-Dade Commissioners would sign off on the $490 million to support the new Florida Marlins stadium, it wouldn’t be a stretch to add half that, another $250 million rennovation project on the bottom of the tab. It’s like a really good tip that if you add it into the bill for large parties of 6 or more, you might just get tipped again without anyone noticing. 

We’ve noticed. Miami residents have noticed and are showing resistance. The Sports Fans Coalition supports all of those local groups who oppose hefty public financing requests for sports stadiums. 

The evidence shows that all the projected value – in terms of gentrification, luring business, and increased quality in fan experience – to an area where new stadiums are paid for with public funds is wrong. The boulder of debt on the shoulders of local government and taxpayers causes teachers to be laid off while a city such as Miami gets back into contention for Super Bowl 2014. More often than not, the projectors often have a stake in the game, and the taxpayers lose theirs.

Come to think of it, maybe a little rain wouldn’t hurt.

An SFC member sent the following article with the following comment today:

“Please read the following article and see how the discussion never includes the fans or the impact of their decisions on the fans.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/29/AR2010012902860.html

Mark Maske’s piece is well written and informative, but this SFC member is right.  What about the sports fan?

Labor disputes between the NFL and the NFLPA are no secret.  On Wednesday the Players Association will draw a line in the sand as DeMaurice Smith makes statements representing the players in a press conference.  Not to be outdone, Roger Goodell will take the podium on Thursday announcing the NFL’s stance.

While the PA has vowed it would be willing to sequester itself into a hotel with owners until a deal is done, the Billionaires Club will have no part in the survivor-style reality show option that Donald Trump is licking his chops to produce. Talk about Must-See TV!

Instead, all we have to cherish is this ‘rather than having a week off before the Super Bowl’ Pro Bowl game featuring all the NFL stars who weren’t good enough to be playing next Sunday. 

All the gripes about today’s fan experience are moot juxtaposed with the signs of pending doom which clearly point to no football on Sundays, and it is a shame that sports fans get no say considering that they possess such a huge stake in the game. 

That’s why the Sports Fans Coalition was created: to stand up for fans. Stand up with us.

Join the Coalition, voice your frustration, and pass it on!