Roger Goodell: NFLPA decertification would not help CBA negotiations

[Omaha Steve]

Source: USA Today

-- Sean Leahy

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Monday that the potential decertification of the NFL Players Association is not positive sign for the sides' negotiations of a new CBA.

The AP reported on Saturday that the union had begun circulating voting cards among teams in expectation of asking them to approve the decertification of the union. Such a move would allow the players to sue the NFL and prevent owners from locking them out once the CBA expires after the current season.

"If there is no union who you negotiate with, that is an issue," Goodell said Monday, via SportsBusiness Journal. "They have to determine whether they are a union or not a union."

SBJ and ESPN also reported that the New Orleans Saints had already voted to approve decertification.



Read more: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/thehuddle/post/2010/09/roger-goodell-nflpa-decertification-would-not-help-cba-negotiations/1

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Mods this is a labor story about decertifying a union, not a sports story.

[nyy1998]

1. It looks really likely that there will be a lockout next year

The NFLPA realizes they're being screwed, and the owners are stubbornly greedy. The owners want the players to give up more money, and drive down the salary cap(as if small market teams were struggling to compete, New Orleans and Pittsburgh won the Super Bowl the last two year, Indianapolis has been to two Super Bowls, and other teams such as Carolina and Arizona have made appearances)


Interestingly, we're also see a very similar scenario in the NBA. David Stern claims the NBA is losing money, but the salary cap, which is based on ticket revenues/merchandise sales/etc, actually rose last year(after a slight dip last year).

The NBA does have a better case then the NFL, but it's not much. We might be left with hockey and soccer next season. Atleast World Series ratings will be up next season :P

[bc3000]

2. How is the NFLPA being screwed?

The salary cap is just about 60% of league revenues. The minimum salary for a rookie is $275,000 a year.

I doubt Walmart guarantees 60% of its revenue to its employees.

[groundloop]

3. I have a difficult time feeling the pain for professional athletes

I see this as millionaires vs. mega-millionaires, with one exception - heatlh/safety. The NFL needs to do far more in preventing and treating head injuries, evidence has been around for years about the debilitating effects of repeated concussions and they've managed to ignore it for a long time.

[nyy1998]

4. Well on an absolute scale, they're not getting screwed

But on a relative scale, the owners want to lower the Salary Cap, lower the Players share of media money/merchandise. Why? NFL owners are still making money, but I think they just want more.


And to be fair, the NFl is the one sport where contracts are non-guaranteed(even the NHL, who also has a hard-cap has guaranteed contracts)


If you think, I'm sympathizing with the players, I'm not, but I'm not taking the owners side either. And on the Walmart comparison, the NFLPA is far more powerful and effective then most Unions(in fact, sports unions are easily one of the more powerful unions in the country).