FanPost

Is the NFL going the way of General Motors?


For the most part, I've been ont he side of the players, but I am concerned at the power of the 'no longer existing' players union. The easiest way to explain my concern is to relate the current labor agreement to General Motors in the 1970s and 1980s.

In the 1970s and 1980s General motors was raking in cash. They were the most popular automaker globally and had found ways to reduce costs and turn monster profits. The UAW (United Auto-Workers Union) saw the great profits American automakers were having and demanded that the Autoworkers get a good share of profits, which only seemed right.

General Motors ended up agreeing to incredible wage increases over the years along with incredible benefits packages. People whose only job was to attach a door handle to a car where all of a sudden making as much as thsoe who had four year degrees and holding middle to upper management positions. The autoworkers benefits were amazing with retirement programs that were going to help them live comfortably once they finally decided to leave the plant. All was good because Ford, GM, and Daimler-Chrysler could afford it.

Then Asia decided to sell cars that fit in the American Market. The Toyotas and Hondas of the world developed new and more efficient processes and fought hard for the American share while Ford, GM, and Chrysler laughed, because they were overconfident in their market share and the idea that Americans wouldn't by foreign cars. They were wrong.

Present day: All the automakers in the US have accepted at least one bailout and while some have paid them back, they will never get their market share back. Bankruptcy has threatened or is taking place for some of the automakers and employees who were once confident they would survive forever off of their pension have no idea when they'll lose it all.

The reason for this is because the automakers rode the wave of success, but assumed they would stay on top forever. They made promises that could only be kept if their market share stayed the same or increased and now they are suffering.

Here is where this compares to the NFL. The NFL is more successful now that they have ever been. Because of decline in popularity of other sports they have taken a majority of the market share. The owners are bringing in billions and the players want their share. It seems only fair to continue increasing salaries, but what if the revenues drop off? All it takes is a doping scandal to rock the NFL and revenues plummit while the owners are still stuck with the 5, 6, & 7 year contracts not to mention the massive pensions, stadium loans, etc.

While it seems like it would be a good idea for the owners to open up their books, it may not fairly represent the true reason the owners want to freeze the increase in salaries, etc. Maybe they feel they need to hedge for a future down-turn or save for a rainy day. One of the biggest problems in our country is that everyone is overlevereged with debt and have no savings in the case an emergency expense comes up or income is lost. Owners may be afraid there is a troubling even on the horizon.

I'm not sure either side is being fair at this point, but I'd like to see some discussion on this issue. I hope status quo is maintained and the NFL becomes more conservitive going forward to protect the future of the game. But as with everything in life, there are no guarantees. Let's just get this lockout over with and resume the greatest game in the world (currently) football.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Stampede Blue's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Stampede Blue's writers or editors.