Yes, he works in the NFL...I believe he is with the Bears right now. Isiah, please excuse me if i am wrong, but I think I remember you mentioning working with players on life after football plans. I know for sure when everyone was bashing cutler it was mentioned Isiah sees him at practice everyday, etc...
What else are these players gonna do? The owners need to understand that THEY have the leverage. They can hire new players. Plus, my guess is that most of these players are FAR too arrogant to allow someone else to play the game while they sit on the sidelines (actually....sit out in the cold). I hope training camp opens on the regular day. I hope the owners are making arrangements to field their teams. I hope the players get a reality check. The only thing I can see the owners being afraid of is..........the players starting a new league. That seems plausible. How hard would it be? The owners HAVE to be extended, to an extent. They own stadiums that would be somewhat useless if the the NFL dissolved. The other side of that is.....it would be tough for the players to sell the new league to investors.....if the current situation is indicative of their work model. I still see the owners with most all of the leverage. I don't know whether it's bad PR they're afraid of or what.......but, I'd LOVE to see them demand the players to work.................or else.
Wasn't it the owners that wanted a change in the way things were done/divided? Or did the players say they wanted a change? Someone fill me it. IMO, if it was the owners that wanted more....money....games....percentage....etc. Then they should show the players their books. If I'm mistaken point it out. Admittedly, I haven't followed too close.
Can the NFL teams demand the tv money they get now with second rate players? Can they demand the money it takes to go to game with second rate players? Who is going to pay 5 dollars for a beer to watch a game, played by players who were not good enough in the first place? It's a gamble by both sides.
Players aren't good enough for what? How much do people pay to go to the top tier D1 schools to watch a football game (Sorry...I haven't paid for a ticket in years)? The level of play would be better than they see, there. And, when there's only one place to buy a beer.....you pay what they're charging (if you want one). Ever been to a movie?
That's the point will people come to the games? I am not saying they won't or they will. How many people are going to pay to see not even the second string, but those who could not even make the team? It just got to the point I could stomach the lions. I am not saying the players are right, or the owners are wrong. Is the product going to be good enough to earn the money the owners are making now. I bring my own coke to the movies, only a door knob would pay those prices
Wouldn't the business model change, also, if the owners didn't have the current players' contracts as debits? If you're paying Joe Schmoe $1M/yr. where you were paying Bill Schmoe $23M/yr......don't ya think you can get away with fewer asses in the seats......even if those seats were sold at a reduced price (reduced from what they're getting, now)? Think of your local minor league baseball team.
Does your local minor league team have a huge contract with Fox, espn, or CBS? Who are the fans going to be loyal too? Owners or players? Majority fans in my area are blue color guys. Fighting over 9 billion dollars is nuts IMO, both sides not being able to work this out, shows they are both pretty greedy.
They don't need the TV contracts to turn a profit. Maybe the owners don't, either. I don't know. Maybe they could live with a smaller $$ contract (TV)? Once again, when your expenditures are reduced.......you can live with a lesser income.
I agree with Jeff. It's all relative. One of the reasons these players are making ridiculous amounts of money is because people are still willing to pay the price to go to the games. There is still a market for them (somehow). Take away the superstars of the league and you also take away the gigantic contracts. Will there still be a market for the consumer to want to watch 2nd hand NFL players ? I think so. Obviously not at the previous level, but I think it could sustain itself. And to be honest you're still talking about great athletes with unbelievable talent that would be filling the shoes. Not like you're going to be picking people off the street. Also the competition level would be the same. It wouldn't be like NFL current players destroying some scabs. So there is equal competition with athletes that can play the game at a very different level than the fan. I think it would survive
I was a baseball fan until the strike some 20 years ago,went to a lot of games a year and always watched on tv after the strike i never went again and dont watch it on tv anymore, They need the fans to pay for this and i wont,I will just do something else other then add more money to a bunch of primates.
With the revenue sharing I believe every team gets a profit before butts hit the seats with TV money. This strike will be different than the last one. The League is more player oriented than team these days. Just thinking about my Fantasy Football team, I would have to start over, SOB My league we get to keep players. Not saying the owners or players are right, interesting to see what happens. Watching 30/30 last night about the Fab 5, Michigan's revenue for BasketBall apparel went up from lime 1.2 million to over 10 million with the Fab 5, same school, different players.
yep still here, but you are correct in that i gotta stay outta this one. im really caught in the middle. The Bears cut my check and the NFL is the boss, but my relationship with the players (and being a former player, however short my career) is essentially my job. i can tell you this... that i am in no manner to talk to the guys. or anyone else in any team for that matter(talking to their guys). this is where the rubber hits the road - that is my driving force in my job - Player Development https://www.nflplayerengagement.com/ so when this whole thing is over guys are gonna come back to work MF-ing me. "Man Zaya, why you couldnt help a brotha out with that thing during the lockout?" you see im humped. i trust that this thing will get done quickly and we can go back to pleasing fans and doing what most of us love to do! sorry for the "lameo" answer but not much else i can do.......
+1 I don't know how much the owner of my company makes and I don't really care. I am much more worried about the company being successful, because if it's not then I won't have a job. So NFL players, take your millions and shut up!
I hope the players understand where you are in this mess and don't take it out on you. Their wants have caused you hardship so they should be looking at the impact it has on people like you.
Since when does an employee have the right to their bosses books??????? That's a bunch of BS! If my employee asked for mine, I'd tell him to **** right off no matter their reasons!
Steve, I agree. I will say this again....why do NFL players feel like their professional football career is the only job they should ever have to work? I am going to preempt what I am about ready to say by saying I understand how hard football is on a persons body. I played football for 17 years. I also understand that many other professions in this country have hard workout and "games"...IE <Marines, firefighters EMT's, Navy Seals, etc. YET, they work long term careers and most of the time work even after they have "retired" just to make ends meet. I can understand some of the problems that the players have with certain things that are going right now in the NFL. Things such as long term health care, pensions, not wanting to play 18 games unless they are compensated more (makes sense), putting more players on the active roster to protect against injury, less pre-season games, etc.Those things I agree with.... What is the average NFL salary? 1.5 million is probably close. What is the average NFL career length? 3.5 years. So 1.5 X 3.5 years=approximately $5 million. Now if that player is taxed at same a 30% rate then his career total net pay is around $3.5 million dollars. 3.5 MILLION dollars folks. A guy making 50K a year would have to work for 70 years to make 3.5 million as compared to only 3-4 years for an NFL player. Again, why many of the players in the NFL believe that their pro career should be their only job in this life and demand so much money is beyond me. If they cannot efficiently utilize that $3.5 million dollar average career net pay then that is on them. Isaiah I am very sorry this is happening to you and I hope this gets resolved soon.
My ex father-in-law lives next door to a former Offensive Guard for the Denver Broncos. He only played three solid years in the NFL including one where he made it to the Super Bowl. His career was cut short by numerous medical issues, but he went back to Veterinary School and became a Vet. Eventually he opened his own clinic and has a great following. He took school serious and planned ahead should his career be cut short. The problem I have is most NFL players go through college and get a degree. Perhaps these schools could prepare them more for life after football considering the average career length. Many of these players are blowing large cash on ridiculous things and not planning ahead even though guys like Isaiah are out there. I hope this strike wakes some people up because the more the salaries increase the less likely the average American will be able to attend the games that pay their salaries.
