I really think the Players are going to get crushed if no deal by 9/1

I really think the Players are going to get crushed if no deal by 9/1 Maybe the owners will make less the next five years, but the players are going to get WAY less money than they would have gotten if they had make some key concessions. It is amazing to me the players think they are running this show.

agreed. owners already have money. football just brings in more (even if some say otherwise). Goodell knows he has the upper hand so he can give them the finger. there will be a lot of unhappy people if the NFL lockout happens.

[QUOTE=jefff;40995]there will be a lot of unhappy people if the NFL lockout happens.[/QUOTE] It's already happened. The players are officially locked out. The players do not have access to team facilities, staff, or doctors, are not allowed to communicate with coaches or other team employees about football, and presently are not entitled to benefits such as health insurance. I disagree that the owners will be content to let an entire NFL season pass by. These guys didn't become NFL owners by losing money - they are greedy, and are, behind closed doors, cringing in fear over the prospect of losing billions of dollars. Money is like crack to these guys. This isn't the NBA where inventing ways to lose money has become an art. I do agree though with the expectation that the players will crack (no pun intended) first. NFL owners won't be filing for bankruptcy after missing 2 months' worth of paychecks. Related point - just for fun, and assuming they are paid weekly, who covers the spread on number of weeks without a paycheck that the average player can go before his bank accounts hit $0? The average NFL player or average NBA player? I make the line NFL -2.5 (as in, the average NFL player can last 2.5 weeks longer without a paycheck than the average NBA player). NBA players sure seem to out-spend, out-donate, and out-gamble their means quickly.

I just think the players are MASSIVELY overpaid Am I the only one that thinks most owners could make money lots and lots and lots of ways? Most athletes are just more lucky to be blessed with physical abilities than anything else. The media LOVES to talk about how awesome it is that Chicago's point guard worked all offseason on his game. WOW! How about that? The truth is I'm AMAZED these overpaid millionaires don't ALL realize maybe just maybe they should learn to shoot a free thow during their 4 months off...........work ethic non existent for 3/4 of the league.

[QUOTE=Fezzik;41015]Am I the only one that thinks most owners could make money lots and lots and lots of ways?[/QUOTE] John Clayton reported last night on ESPN radio that the owners are in panic mode right now at the yearly meetings in New Orleans. Sure, NFL owners are savvy enough to make money in other industries, but the NFL is a cash cow right now, and they are smart enough to know that they would have to work twice as hard and twice as much anywhere else to make the same amount of money. Owning an NFL team right now is like having your own personal ATM with no withdrawal limits. These guys didn't become billioniares by letting good things get away from them.

[QUOTE=Cizzle;41028]John Clayton reported last night on ESPN radio that the owners are in panic mode right now at the yearly meetings in New Orleans. Sure, NFL owners are savvy enough to make money in other industries, but the NFL is a cash cow right now, and they are smart enough to know that they would have to work twice as hard and twice as much anywhere else to make the same amount of money. Owning an NFL team right now is like having your own personal ATM with no withdrawal limits. These guys didn't become billioniares by letting good things get away from them.[/QUOTE] Yeah but wait until those pay checks stop coming to the players...especially the 1st and 2nd year players. Wait until sept when they really earn their paychecks. Players will panic badly.

The Bottom Line: The players are CLEARLY massively overpaid IMO And they should realize how lucky they are to have such a great deal that all they have to do is make a few key concessions and make millions and millions more.

i would assume this same logic (overpaid)goes for movie stars and music industry?

good piece last night on HBO's Real Sports. the damage that football does to these guys bodies is tough to overcome as they age. playing 18 games makes it worse for the players. sounds like that's one area the players want the NFL to help pick up the tab. i still think, like Fezzik, that the owners have the upper hand here. Owners could make some money elsewhere and be fine with it. The players, especially the younger ones, have very little to fall back on.

Maybe you are talking about pro athletes in general but I think it's silly to pick NFL players as being the ones that are overpaid. -They are the most watched and create the most revenue of the major sports. -They don't have guaranteed contracts like NBA and MLB players. -And as Jeff pointed out they stand a very high chance of facing lifelong health problems from playing the sport. By all accounts the league revenue is skyrocketing. It's a little puzzling that both sides wouldn't be happy with their previously agreed upon cut of the ever increasing pie.