The current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the NFL and the NFLPA (NFL Players Association) is closing in on its expiration date. A lockout is seeming more and more likely. Owners are prepared for it. Players are prepared for it. Fans, like myself, are dreading it.
A quick history lesson: The CBA is the contract between the NFL and the NFLPA (a legitimate labor union) that outlines terms and conditions of employment, free agency, pension, revenue sharing etc, to ensure fair treatment for all players. The CBA as we know it was drafted and accepted in 1993 and has been renewed by team owners five times, most recently in '06. That 2006 resigning carried the terms of the CBA through the 2011 season, but the owners have chosen not to renew the agreement, as the NFLPA is seeking a larger share of the revenue. Currently, the NFL is obliged to share 55% of it's total revenue.
Back to the lecture at hand. The NFL has built a media empire. It's no wonder the NFLPA is seeking a higher revenue share. With the advent of fantasy football, the NFL Network, the RedZone channel, and the fact that an early season game between two terrible teams gets better TV ratings than Playoff Baseball, there is clearly a much bigger pie to share these days. More to the point, the players themselves feel like they're the main attraction, and they're right. One would think that the NFLPA has all the bargaining chips it needs to pull in the big pot. With that in mind, the NFLPA has recently decertified itself from union status, a move made before the 1993 CBA was signed. Contrary to intuition, this makes the NLFPA stronger in that it can now file an antitrust lawsuit, just like it did in 1993.
But the NFL has one ace in the hole, one trick up its sleeve: the 18 game season. The timing is perfect. As long as there is no CBA in place, the NFL is free to vote on moving from a 16 game season to an 18 game season, without regard for the NFLPA. It will most certainly do this, and the reason is leverage. With an 18 game season in place, the NFL has a little more fat to cut at the negotiating table. Fans want 18 games. I'll admit, my mouth waters a little bit at the sheer mention of it. But players most certainly do not want an 18 game season. Their bodies already take a beating, and to ask a team to stretch its resources for an extra 2 weeks seems almost cruel.
Think about it. We are just heading into week 6 of a 16 week season, and there have been more injuries than we care to remember. Just look at the Packers. You need both hands and a foot to count all the injuries. Frankly, it's ridiculous. But this is the perfect scenario for the NFL, who are looking to get a leg up on the NFLPA in any way possible. Does the NFL want an 18 game season? Absolutely. But will they be willing to lower that back down to 16 games if the NFLPA shortens their demands, specifically in the area of added revenue sharing? Absolutely. Leverage. With every injury, the 18 game season seems less and less appealing to the NFLPA, and thus becomes a much stronger bargaining tool for the NFL. While the vote has not happened yet, you better believe that if a strike is looming, the league will do everything it can to stack the deck. There's just too much money at stake.
Photo courtesy of NFLPLAYERS.com
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