Comments on NFL Lockout Kinda Like an IQ Test

[gregony]

The NFL (owners) has locked out the NFLPA (players). I've been trying to read up on what exactly the impasse is and it's really difficult to get a straight answer.

But what really annoys me is the comments section on several of the sports sites. There are a dirth of anti-union rants that basically say that players are employees of the owners and that they should be happy they are making what they are making, that unions are killing America, that you don't get to see your boss' books, that you if you don't perform at your job you don't get paid, and more anti-union propaganda.
Now I'm a fairly level headed individual who likes to hear all sides of an argument before making a decision on who to side with. I've never belonged to a union and likely never will based on what I do for living, but the players union (now decertified) is somewhat unique and shouldn't be subject to the same old tired anti-union arguments, and here's basically why.

The owner's have formed an "illegal" trust and called this trust the NFL. A trust is kind of like a union, only it is a union of employers. It is illegal to form such trusts under the Sherman AntiTrust Act. The only reason it is allowed to exist is because the players formed a union and agreed to go along with it for expedience sake. Think about it. What if every trucking company got together and formed the NTL (National Trucking League) and said, "we're going to pay drivers ten dollars an hour from now on". You couldn't go anywhere else and drive, all of the trucking companies joined the NTL. Bought your own truck? Ten dollars an hour. You can't drive anywhere else. Oh wait, they kind of did this sort of thing before the Sherman AntiTrust Act was passed didn't they?
Oh, but you say the players could play for a different league (the arena perhaps?). The stadiums and television only do real business with the NFL. That's like 99% of all companies only shipping stuff through the NTL. Sure you can drive for the ATL (Arena Trucking League) but because they have no market share, they have no money.
Think about it. The owners, i.e. the NFL, have all gotten together and formed a trust so they can control how much they are getting paid. I defy you to point out any meaningful difference between the teamsters getting together to set a per mile rate, and the NFL getting together to set a salary cap, or a rookie wage scale. Remember, there are two ways to control how much you get paid, you can either control how much revenue you get (the per mile) or you can control what your expenses are (salary cap). Whoooaaa. Teamsters can't control expenses so they do their best to at least get a fair wage. Even if drivers don't belong to the teamsters they still benefit. Owner's of NFL teams can, and do control their expenses while collecting as much revenue as is available on the free market. This is where the heart of the impasse is, I think. The players feel they should be able to sell their product (their football prowess) for as much as the free market will allow. Remember each player is basically a business because they only work via employment contracts, and remember, each NFL team is a seperate company as well.
This is no different than an electronic technician such as myself going through the want ads and applying to various companies and taking a job with one that offers me the most of what I want (not necessarily the most money). If I grow weary of my employer, I can quit and go to another company. If my employer finds itself no longer in need of my services, it can send me packing, and perhaps, replace me with someone better. Because of the nature of playing football such a system just doesn't work. Can you imagine making the Superbowl and then some of the players on the team refusing to play the day before unless they get a raise?
But, because the owners have no self discipline, the owners formed an alliance preventing this free market system and thus preventing themselves from destroying, well, themselves. The players realize that without this trust and the resulting collective bargaining agreement, teams would likely go bankrupt on a regular basis - see NHL for examples. Can you imagine the team that makes the Superbowl going bankrupt the week before the big game?
Hence, the two sides in this dispute really have no true "regular business" counterpart and making comparisons as to your employer and performance and whatever the hell your anti-union diatrabe is trying to accomplish only serves to expose your propaganda for what it is.
The players and the owners formed a truce. This truce allows both sides some sort of order and provides benefits to both parties.
You don't get to see your boss' books. Actually not true for the majority of employees in America, this was one of the more absurd posts. You can get a copy of the annual report from any publicly held company in America. You can also get a budget report from any government entity. These two kinds of employers cover a big chunk of employees in this country. Also, any privately held company would be likely to share its financial report with a union it was negotiating with, if it was a critical component of the negotiations, and the private company was telling the truth about not having any more money to spare (as the NFL is contending).
So in short, these aren't unions in the traditional sense. These are best described as two groups of businesses trying to negotiate a business deal. It is not about unions or employers. The only reason anybody even cares is because it's football.

[Original Fin]

It's hard to sympathize when the players earn that kind of money. It's not about being an athlete and taking it to the highest level, it's about entertainment and greed. Its not like we're talking about people that are just trying to feed their families.

This is an issue that I don't care to take either side on. I honestly don't care how they go about resolving it, and my world won't end if we miss a few games or even a season. There are a lot more important things going on in the world to fret over.