AP Source: NFL Owners, Players to Meet Again (hope it will be to ratify a new collective contract)

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By BARRY WILNER

ROSEMONT, Ill. (AP) - The next time NFL owners meet over labor, there is hope it will be to ratify a new collective bargaining agreement with the players.

Don't get carried away thinking a deal is imminent. Optimism is in the air, for sure. That doesn't mean the end of the lockout is at hand.

Owners were briefed Tuesday on discussions for a new CBA that would net the players just under 50 percent of total revenues. Next up: more talks with the players in the Boston area.

Several people with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press that Commissioner Roger Goodell and his labor committee will meet with players association chief DeMaurice Smith on Wednesday and Thursday. The owners spent five hours Tuesday getting updated on various CBA issues. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because the negotiations are supposed to be confidential.


Read more: http://sports.excite.com/news/06212011/v1436.html

[Zavulon]

1. Count me as one former NFL fan who hopes the lockout emilinates the season.

These rich fucks on both sides whining about how they're getting screwed when the rest of the country suffers has me no longer giving a shit. I can afford to miss a season of fantasy football. Screw all of them.

[Omaha Steve]

2. That also screws all the little people

One DU regular has a daughter that pays for college by the $ she earns on game days. Ticket takers, concessions, security, traffic control,...

Do you really want to screw all the little people too?

[Zavulon]

5. That's give and take.

I and my co-workers get paid by the hour and during football season we get no Sunday hours because the boss won't open the office. We can't be the only ones in the country. Football season actually kicks all of us (the ones I'm talking about, I mean, not EVERYONE) in the ass financially.

Even without that I fully understand your point, but what you're talking about is a fairly small amount of jobs for me to think "Oh, boy, I hope the fat cats reach a deal and screw their fans for yet another year just so that a small amount of people keep working." I'm not without sympathy towards the people who work those Sundays, even when their hours cancel out those of me and everyone else in my situation, but given a choice between the two I'll opt for a lost season. "Little people" are going to be screwed either way, so I'll take the fat cats getting screwed along with the deal.

It's all pie in the sky anyway - there's no chance they won't come to terms in time for a season. Too much money at stake.

[onenote]

20. not even close to a "give and take"

I live in a pretty football crazy town and I've never heard of any business that closed on Sundays only during the football season. On the other hand, I know of several businesses (restaurants, bars, etc) that have extended hours during football season to accommodate fans before, during, after games. The workers in those establishments -- including minimum wage busboys, etc. -- will all be hurt if there is no season.

I'm curious -- does your boss shut down your office for Monday night and Thursday night games? What about Saturday games? Between 20 and 25 percent of all NFL games in 2011 are scheduled for some time other than Sunday afternoon. Each of those games employs, directly or indirectly, far more people than the number who don't get to work on a Sunday because their office closes for game day.

Consider this: the Kansas City Chiefs training camp drew 60,000 visitors last year -- training camp. That translates into a couple of million dollars for the local economy -- hotel, restaurants, other related vendors. Multiply that by 32 teams. Then consider the more than 200 regular season games that draw over 17,000,000 in live spectators and millions more in tv viewers.

Finally, apart from the economic impact, which is considerable, there is the fact that a lot of those fans are the "little people" you claim to care about. If only they listened to you and stopped liking football.

[Angry Dragon]

15. Perhaps they should put those people under the players umbrella

so they could paid a little better

[InkAddict]

3. High-paid corporate shills and prima donas - Not sure I'll really

it - Cancelling NFL football might just make people MAD! Good.

[bluedigger]

4. Yeah, who needs them? And their $7.8B annual industry!

I hate other people getting rich! We should just open a factory and make shit, instead, right? I'll go let the stadium crew know they are free to pursue other opportunities.

[Omaha Steve]

6. OOPS

When watching the College World Series on ESPN, reading here and on other sites, and posting, I need to pay more attention to the DU.

Sorry

OS

[bluedigger]

7. Did I really Need a sarcasm tag, OS?

:fistbump:

[Missy Vixen]

8. More than half the league is being paid the minimum

The average NFL career is three and a half seasons.

>These rich fucks on both sides whining about how they're getting screwed<

When you're facing dementia and debilitating lifelong injury at age 40, be sure and tell me how the "rich fucks" that made league minimum for three years or less are cleaning up.

[Dutchmaster]

9. Having worked with . . .

. . . many current and former NFL players, I believe wholeheartedly that they deserve to get every penny they can out of these Billionaire owners. The players were fine with the contract that they had. The owners wanted them to get less. The physical, mental, and emotional toll that playing in the NFL can create for players often sticks with people and causes them challenges for life.

[nyy1998]

10. +1 couldn't agree more nt

[former9thward]

11. Why don't you tell us what the "minimum" is?

It is more than most people make in a lifetime.

[Missy Vixen]

14. Really?

http://nflsalaries.org/

League minimum: $285K.

"More than most people make in a lifetime"? I don't think so.

[former9thward]

21. Really.

From your link. "Rookies in 2009 started at around 4 million dollars on average depending on the team per year plus endorsements. The average annual salary of all NFL athletes for 2009 is about 1 million dollars per year. Veterans had an average of about 17 million dollars in 2009." I will stand by my statement.

[totodeinhere]

22. Even if your career only lasts for 3 1/2 years, earning an average of $14 million

over that time span should be enough to set you up for life. And the NFL provides good health coverage for life to help deal with lingering injuries. It sounds like a good deal to me. That puts them in the upper 1% of income in the USA. And with that kind of money they can afford a good creative accountant to help them avoid paying much in income taxes.

I mean, I can't even in my wildest dreams imagine ever earning $14 million in 3 1/2 years.

And don't let my comments suggest that I support the spoiled rich boy NFL owners either, because I certainly do not.

[Bill McBlueState]

26. you were talking about the minimum

She gave you the minimum, but you evidently didn't like that answer, so you started talking about the average. :shrug:

[former9thward]

27. Which is the true pay. Sorry you don't like reality.

[Bill McBlueState]

32. I love reality!

But "true" and "average" are not synonyms. Geez.

[boppers]

12. When you do something stupid and idiotic for "three and a half seasons", that's college.

Oh, and I note you don't mention what the going league minimum is. I wonder why?

[Missy Vixen]

13. I note that you're unable to do a Google search.

I wonder why?

http://nflsalaries.org/

According to the above, league minimum was $285,000. Taxes are taken out, as well as agent's salaries, and other items that are the cost of doing business in the NFL (nutritionist, trainer, etcetera.)

They most likely take home less than $200K per year, which is a nice chunk of change, but isn't going to help them if they have dementia in later life, or catastrophic injury.

[boppers]

16. I searched, and sites I found said that minimums change, and wouldn't give hard numbers.

Your number ($285,000) doesn't even match the very URL you provided.

From the link you provided:
"According to the National Football League Players Association, the minimum salary that an NFL player can make is $295,000 per year."

Maybe $10,000 isn't much to some folks, but for me, $285,000 and $295,000 is a big difference.

Also from that link:
"The average annual salary of all NFL athletes for 2009 is about 1 million dollars per year. Veterans had an average of about 17 million dollars in 2009. The athlete with the highest annual salary is Philip Rivers of the San Diego Chargers who made $25,556,630 last year plus endorsements which could put him around the 30 million dollar mark."

According to:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_income_in_the_United_States

The average US personal income is $32,140 per year.

So, one year in the NFL is about 9 years the average income. Three and a half "seasons" is 31.5 years of income, at the minimum.

Since the actual average income is much higher (a million a year, according to your link), by a factor of more than three, I'll just be nice, and go by three, and say that an NFL career provides 94.5 years of income, earned over 3.5 years.

[Angleae]

17. 2010 league minimum was $325,000 for a rookie.

rookie = $325,000
1 year = $400,000
2 year = $475,000
3 year = $550,000
4-6 years = $635,000
7-9 years = $760,000
10+ years = $860,000


I've found several sites that say 320,000 or 325,000. The above chart I found right here at DU.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=103&topic_id=594047&mesg_id=594149

Using the above chart, a 4 year contract is worth $1.75 million

[Omaha Steve]

19. Class war on NFL players?

Tax payers get stuck for new stadiums etc. while the owners laugh. Most players have charities they spend time & $ on. If the NFL would make a "all licensed gear must be made in the USA rule", that would help us little people.

I'll keep standing with the players.

[Missy Vixen]

18. And your point would be?

Does the average person making $32K per year pay an agent? How about a publicist, nutritionist, trainer, or medical professionals not paid for by his team? Do they lose most likely at least a third, if not half of their income to taxes? Do they face a 100% injury rate? How about the fact that they are rendered uninsurable for any amount after the recent findings on concussion research?

Does the average person making $32K per year face debilitating injury and possible dementia by 40, while those who own his contract find their teams valued in excess of $1 billion, and have multiple income streams from their investment?

I'm sure you believe your Wikipedia source is unimpeachable. Mine is a regular columnist for a TV network, who has said previously that over half the league makes the minimum. Chester Pitts, NFL player, has also said half the league makes the minimum, for an average of three and a half seasons.

[former9thward]

25. If you are indeed making the minimum whatever it is you are not paying an agent.

There would be no point to an agent if he could only get you the contractual minimum. No, athletes making the minimum are not paying for trainers, publicists, nutritionists, etc. The team pays for those for the team. A super wealthy athlete may have a publicist or even a trainer but not someone making the minimum. But I am sure you will find more reasons to think of these millionaires as part of some oppressed class in America.

[Missy Vixen]

29. All NFL players employ an agent

You might want to read up on that. You might also want to bear in mind that those who want to stay in the league had best get their support group in place, and that's not free.

>But I am sure you will find more reasons to think of these millionaires as part of some oppressed class in America.<

They're union members. I support unions. It's unfortunate that you don't.

[boppers]

28. Ask a musician. eom

[Missy Vixen]

30. I'm an author. If I want work, I have to pay an agent. n/t

[bemildred]

23. Yawn. nt

[tuckessee]

24. Damn! I was hoping for a year free of the militaristic, macho buffoonery that is the NFL. n/t

[RussBLib]

31. Keep hope alive

There's still a good chance that sheer greed will kill the whole league.