by John Morse

NFL Lockout Affecting Player Spending

Scoring a lucrative contract is one of the most exciting aspects of entering the NFL for a collegiate prospect, but this year has really opened the eyes of first and second year players. With no training camps or off-season workout sessions, there’s no money flowing into NFL player’s bank accounts. True Capital Management in New York City is a financial advisor agency that has over 100 NFL clients and this year it is especially active. San Diego Chargers running back Ryan Matthews and Oakland Raiders defensive end Matt Shaughnessy are two clients coming off their 1^st and 2^nd seasons, respectively.

Senior Vice President of True Capital Management Mark Doman sets the record straight for those who believe all NFL players are financially set.

“Three out of every four players go broke,” he says. “Actually, it’s worse than that. The real number is closer to 78 percent,” said Doman.

As the uncertainty of the lockout continues, Doman has stressed to his clients that their spending must be conservative until football resumes. Doman maintained that his clients have been extremely appreciative and understanding of the spending changes.

Not all NFL players are as financially stable as others and besides the rookie contracts that could be reduced as part of labor negotiations; NFL contracts do not consist of much guaranteed money.

Read more on this overlooked aspect of the NFL labor negotiations here. 

Twins Stadium the Target of Bad Weather

The Minnesota Twins played for years at the Metrodome and as the name insinuates, the stadium’s ‘dome’ relieved the possibility of rainouts from threatening play. Already in the 2011 season the Twins have experienced two rainouts at their year old Target Field. What’s ironic is that playing in the metrodome these days wouldn’t do much good in preventing precipitation from falling on the playing surface. The Vikings Metrodome roof collapsed days before a matchup last season with the Giants and has now become the focal point of conversation in the off-season along with the NFL lockout.

As a result of the rainouts at Target Field, the Twins have offered fans a twin-bill doubleheader on the make-up day to account for the missed action from the cancellation.

Read about the Minnesota stadium situation and weather here.                     

Potential Lockout Extends Past NBA

As NBA lockout talks continue to swirl, we’ve seen the effects already as the Lakers failed to offer contracts to team officials for next season. We’ve seen the league pass out handbooks to prepare its players and we’ve seen the NFL lockout lifted, at least temporarily.

Despite all of that, one aspect of an NBA lockout that has not been discussed is the international game. Beginning with qualifying tournaments this summer, national teams would be affected from a lockout.

If there is no new collective bargaining agreement reached by the July 1^st deadline, national teams fear that they won’t be able to afford insurance for the NBA stars on their roster. An NBA player who participates in international competition is guaranteed pay upon injury, a reason why insurance is a key component. With no guarantee of the upcoming NBA season, there are no guaranteed contracts for players; and with no guaranteed contracts there is no insurance for national team play.

Translation: NBA players are running the risk of receiving no pay if injured in national play.

Read about the possible miscue with the NBA here. 

Sports Fan Pic of the Day:

Sports Blog of the Day: NHL Hot Stove

The twists and turns are over for the 1^st round of the NHL playoffs. For the Bruins and Lightning, it’s on to the next one.

This Day in Sports History: On April 28^th, 1960 the Lakers left Minneapolis for Los Angeles.

John Morse is serving as an SFC Sportswriter Fellow based in New Hampshire. He is finshing up a degree in Print Journalism at Hofstra University. John is a very passionate sports fan and the Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics and Bruins are his favorite teams.

by Scott Weiss

The NFL Draft, which starts this Thursday, is the marquee event for the NFL offseason.  It is the NFL’s attempt at portraying a business as usual facade to its loyal fans.  Here’s a news flash to owner’s rep Goodell and his billionaire buddies: we fans are not that stupid.

There is nothing that is business as usual going on in the NFL.  Judge Nelson’s ruling to lift the lockout is being appealed by the NFL owners, who want to slam the door shut in the players and fans faces once again.

Despite this despicable attempt, Roger Goodell expects to receive thunderous applause when he opens the evening on Thursday by announcing the start of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Is this guy delusional?  Mr. Goodell should be met by a chorus of boos from the draftniks in attendance.  But, it shouldn’t stop there.

Roger Goodell should not be granted one second of uninterrupted speech.  I am suggesting the following chants every time Mr. Goodell opens his mouth: “Save next season,” “We want football,” “Let them play,” and “Fire Roger.”  I’m sure there are other appropriate for TV chants that would also do.

If the draftniks just go along with the program and play the NFL’s game, it would send a terrible message of acceptance and compliance with the owner’s abuses toward the fans.  Drowning out Roger would represent the fans’ voice of displeasure of the lockout and ongoing strong arm tactics of Goodell and the owners.

It would be amazing to turn on the draft Thursday night, and see the fans rule the night; to have the fans rain on the NFL’s marquee event.  It would be great to see the news stories on Friday with headlines blaring about the draftnik’s game changing evening.

Scott Weiss is the Local Chapter Chair for SFC-New York/New Jersey and an SFC Sportwriter Fellow. He has been involved in the sports fans advocacy movement since 2000. He is a life long fan of the Mets, Jets, Knicks, and Rangers.

On Monday, U.S. District Court Judge Susan Nelson ruled that the NFL’s lockout of its players was illegal. It was a victory for players – and fans.

The NFL is appealing Judge Nelson’s ruling, though, so this dispute is not over yet. And a new collective bargaining agreement still needs to be signed. But, for now, the chances that there will be a full season of NFL football in 2011 are far better now than they were before the judge’s ruling. And that’s the primary concern for NFL players and fans everywhere.

This labor dispute has now dragged on for two years. It’s important to remember that NFL owners opted out of the previous labor agreement with its players and chose to lock them out. They specifically negotiated their television contracts – which they are allowed to do collectively because of the antitrust exemption the public grants them – anticipating a lockout. The courts ruled that the owners had done this in bad faith.

In January, SportsFans.org launched Save Next Season, a campaign that has received national publicity and has united thousands of NFL fans around the country. (And that has been appropriated.) From the outset of Save Next Season, fans made it clear that we had no particular interest in how owners and players split $9 billion in revenue, but we wanted owners and players to guarantee to us that there would be a 2011 season.

The basis for the campaign was the tremendous investment we have all made in the NFL. NFL fans and taxpayers have kicked in $6.5 billion for NFL stadiums and granted the NFL antitrust and tax exemptions. We have transformed many NFL cities into sporting zones where the local economy is highly dependent upon NFL games being played. And fans have been asked by NFL teams to continue to pay for season tickets in the hopes that there would be a 2011 season.

In her ruling Monday, Judge Nelson recognized this investment:

The public ramifications of this dispute exceed the abstract principles of the antitrust laws, as professional football involves many layers of tangible economic impact, ranging from broadcast revenues down to concessions sales. And, of course, the public interest represented by the fans of professional football — who have a strong investment in the 2011 season — is an intangible interest that weighs against the lockout. In short, this particular employment dispute is far from a purely private argument over compensation.

SportsFans.org has been saying for months that this is more than a “purely private argument over compensation.” We have argued that our “strong investment” should entitle the public to have representation in the negotiating room and that certain rules should be adopted in a new collective bargaining agreement in return for this investment, such as an end to the NFL’s despicable blackout policy and a relaxation of rules barring public ownership of teams.

The owners instituted a lockout of its players and fans despite the fact that NFL football is the most popular sport in America and its television ratings have never been higher. Fans and players love the game the way it is. Why are owners messing with a good thing?

Going forward, it’s clearly in the best interests of fans and players that the owners drop their appeal of Judge Nelson’s ruling and get back to negotiating with the players. To be clear, we are not siding with the players. We are just saying that it’s in the best interests of the fans that the owners not be allowed to lockout the players so that games can be played. It’s up to both sides to reach a new collective bargaining agreement. Until such an agreement is reached, fans will not rest easy. But now, at least, there is reason for hope.

–
Brian Frederick is the Executive Director of SportsFans.org. He holds a Ph.D. in Communication and lives in Washington, D.C. Email him at brian@sportsfans.org and follow him on Twitter here.

 by John Morse

NFL Lockout Lifted, Pending Appeal

Don’t let the news fool you.  Football fans aren’t quite out of the woods yet. Although Judge Susan Richards ruled in favor of the NFL players yesterday, the owners will not delay in filing an appeal. If a stay is granted from the court of appeals, the NFL will remain idled for the next month or so. If by some stroke of good fortune a stay is not sustained, the league would be open for business immediately.

While the appeal process remains hazy, we expect that it will take the three judges in the appeal panel at least a month to ponder the case. As mentioned in yesterday’s Morning Medley, training camps could start later than expected and regular season bye weeks might disappear in order to preserve a delayed yet full 16 week season.

This is definitely a step in the right direction, but the lockout situation is still very much a “jump ball” for both sides. We urge you to keep the pressure on by signing the petition at savenextseason.com.

You can read the latest developments on Judge Susan Richard’s ruling here.

Lakers Begin to Prepare for Possible Lockout

The two-time defending NBA champion L.A. Lakers are battling it out with the Hornets in the first round of the playoffs. With the series tied at two games a piece, the Lakers have plenty to worry about on the hardwood, but off the court the Lakers are just as indebted.  With an NBA lockout hanging over the league like a dark cloud, the team elected not to offer contracts to four of the five training staff members for next season.

The NBA labor negotiations have been dormant since the all-star break and there’s no sign of progress. As the Lakers have opted to wait for a new CBA to offer contracts to staff members, don’t be surprised if other teams begin to follow suit.

Read about the Lakers’ initial steps in preparing for a lockout here.

Minnesota Governor Says Vikings Should Pay More in New Stadium Plan

One of the most important figures in the talks for a new stadium for the Vikings is Minnesota state governor Mark Dayton. The Vikings have indicated in the new stadium proposal that they would pay a third of the stadium’s cost, but governor Dayton has exclaimed the team needs to pay more.

The new stadium is estimated to cost $700 million and Dayton has suggested the team pay at least 40% for the stadium, rather than taking the majority of state funds. Only recently did Dayton provide an exact mark that he believes the team should be paying for a stadium. The governor has reiterated the importance to get as many people of the Minnesota community involved with any new project in order for it to become a “people’s stadium” and to create as many new jobs as possible.

Read more on the unsettled stadium business in Minnesota here.

Sports Fan Pic of the Day:

Sports Blog of the Day: ED SBS

In one of the craziest playoff times of the year, relieve some stress and read up on what your college football team is up to during the spring. There is no off-season for the sport after all.

This Day in Sports History: On April 26, 1995 the Colorado Rockies defeated the New York Mets 11-9 in the inaugural game at Coors Field.

John Morse is serving as an SFC Sportswriter Fellow based in New Hampshire. He is finshing up a degree in Print Journalism at Hofstra University. John is a very passionate sports fan and the Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics and Bruins are his favorite teams.

by George Donnelly

The lockout is lifted for now.  Judge Nelsen has shown the courage to temporarily end a lockout that still may cost NFL fans games.  Fans need to continue to show courage and make sure the owners and players know where we stand on the issue.  Both sides must come to an agreement that will end the lawsuits and labor impasse for good.

Read the story here.