We‘ve chosen sides in this labor dispute.
No, we’re not talking about the states vs. public sector unions. We’re thinking of the National Football League. And we are most decidedly on the side of the fans.
The players, the owners, the commissioner all parties have got to realize that what ultimately matters to fans across the land is that the dispute gets resolved so that the games are played. Period.
The NFL is a gigantic big business. It is estimated to generate some $9 billion annually. That’s an awful lot of money to be spread around.
At its core, the NFL labor dispute - which moved into a murky and decidedly dangerous area on Friday as the expiration of the existing collective bargaining agreement loomed - is about how to slice up the golden pie that is today’s National Football League. Professional football has never been more popular. Stadiums are full. Television revenues are out of this world. The NFL is growing and growing and growing.
The dispute is not about free agency. It s not over a salary cap. It isn’t about revenue sharing among teams. It’s about how large a piece of the pie goes to the owners, and how much goes to the players.
No one even claims to be losing money.
Rather than calling in a specific play at this moment, we’d like to make a simpler suggestion: Remember the story of the goose that laid the golden egg. Re-read it before bedtime tonight. Remember it again tomorrow. Then consider the fans. Everyone would lose if even a part of the 2011 season is lost because of a fight over money. Figure out a way to find a deal that everyone can live with, because no one can abide an autumn without the National Football League.