Litigation is now the most heard word in regards to the NFL and the NFLPA’s labor dispute. That is because neither side has been able to work at the negotiating part of negotiations that were taking place a few short weeks ago.
Now most fans have beef with both sides mostly because they threaten to ruin many a fall semester for NFL fans, but DeMaurice Smith has been the most baffling and unbelievable negotiator ever seen in a labor dispute since most of us have been alive. He has the players convinced that they are indeed hurting for cash, which they are not. In reality if the players had their way, they would be making more money than the owners. But, I have never known a business where the employee makes more money than the employer. It’s just not a good business idea.
The players are claiming that NFL owners are low-balling them on projections for revenue over the next four years. Here is the deal: The owners are projecting those numbers yes, but as we have seen in the last couple of years those projections are not always met. When those projections are not met the owners have to eat the money they fall short on. So in essence the players want the NFL to take all the risk without being rewarded for that.
Smith and the rest of the players have also asked that the top 17 draft prospects, who are normally invited to New York to be at the draft, not attend because how could they want to possibly shake the hand of the man that is keeping them from playing. This is just one more reason that the more this thing drags out; the more we see fans jumping from the players’ side and into the owners’ corner. Thankfully, at least one of the top prospects, Von Miller of Texas A&M, has already come out an said regardless of the NFLPA, which doesn’t technically exist, he will attend the draft and will shake the commissioners hand.
It’s high time that Smith be shown that just because he is a lawyer, doesn’t mean everything needs to be solved in front of a judge. The more we look at the day the NFLPA decertified the more it becomes clear that Smith had no intention of agreeing to any terms with the NFL because the NFL came in during the early afternoon and offered the players a deal which, for all intents and purposes, is what they wanted.
Smith shot it down and basically told the NFL to shove off and he wanted this to go down in court.
So until both sides wise up, especially the nonexistent NFLPA, NFL fans across America and the world will have to prepare to sit down on Sunday’s and watch bowling on ESPN.