Owners, NFLPA, and the 2011 Season

[CH David]

Now, hopefully the NFLPA and the Owners can come up with a new Collective Bargaining Agreement within the next year. But for right now, as far as I know, neither side is in agreeance, and if nothing gets done soon, the 2011 season will not happen. How shitty would this be for the NFL? Football is easily the biggest sport in the United States. They generate millions, possibly hundreds of millions of dollars each year, and for that to cease, would be detrimental to teams and the league.

What would your reaction be if the league ceased for a whole season? No Sunday football, no Monday nights, no playoffs, and no Super Bowl Sunday. Would you open the league back with open arms?

Personally I think it would definitely be shit if the league stopped a whole season because the Player's Union and the Owners couldn't come up with some sort of agreement. Strikes never have a happy outcome, just look at the MLB in '94, it took McGwire and Sosa in '98 for baseball to really come back to full swing again, and the NHL Lockout in 2004, it still isn't out of the woods completely. It would suck all around, and I don't think would be good for the future of the league, no matter how popular the NFL is.

I would be excited for the league to come back, it would have an awesome feel, but I would still be pissed that the Union and Owners took so long to make an agreement. But who knows, maybe people would miss it so much that everyone would flock to games?

So what is your stance on the subject of the 2011 season possibly being cancelled?

 

[Big Sexy]

Obviously the 2011 season being canceled would suck, but the chances of that happening are slim. There is too much time and a lot of people have too much to lose for that to happen. Unlike the NHL and MLB the NFL would still be hugely popular if they did have to cancel the season, but anytime something like that happens it is never good for business.

The more likely scenario is the NFL could have an uncapped season in 2011. This might not be as bad as a lockout but it would still really hurt the NFL. Before his death last year, former NFLPA president Gene Upshaw said that once there was one uncapped year that the salary cap would be gone for good. If that happens then just like baseball it will be the end of the small market teams.

 

[CH David]

The more likely scenario is the NFL could have an uncapped season in 2011. This might not be as bad as a lockout but it would still really hurt the NFL. Before his death last year, former NFLPA president Gene Upshaw said that once there was one uncapped year that the salary cap would be gone for good. If that happens then just like baseball it will be the end of the small market teams.

The current word is that if there is no new Collective Bargaining Agreement before next year, then next season will be the uncapped year. But I do get what you are saying, and definitely agree. Small market teams will be screwed, and there will be a very slim chance of survival for them.

If you go off the MLB, just look at the Indians. Had two Cy Young Award winners, and had to let them go because they couldn't afford them. CC got a huge check from the Yankees, and Cliff is now in Seattle, and is going to get paid big, if he hasn't already.

Just imagine the Rams, or any of the other bottom feeder teams. They draft players, and have them for a few years, perhaps they improve and it shows, they get signed to a bigger and better deal by a better team, granted it tends to happen already. Players seem to be getting more greedy, and it isn't really necessary. I mean seriously, rookies getting multi-million dollar deals, and haven't proven themselves in the league? That right there is a travesty, and only proves to be worse down the line without a salary cap.