All of that anticipation, March 4, 2011, D-day, Armageddon, the day when America’s favorite sport was going to be destroyed and now we have to wait. Yesterday as emotions ran high the owner’s and players association for the NFL agreed to extend the expiration of the CBA for 24 hours. The main goal today is to get another extension of 7-10 days. I wonder why it has taken these two sides this long to begin discussions. The two sides refused to speak for the past few months even when they knew this day was quickly approaching. Now America needs to continue to wait to see what is going to happen. The one-day extension is a positive sign, it means that both sides understand the severity of the situation and both sides want to reach an agreement. I believe that we will see the week extension granted today, but still nothing will be accomplished. Both sides have so much to lose by not cooperating and yet they continue to be hardheaded. As a fan of the game it is so frustrating to watch. I still hold to my initial prediction that a resolution will be reached before next season.
The other problem with this fiasco is public perception. The players, who I believe have been semi unreasonable throughout this procedure, proposed the 7-10 day extension. The owners must accept the proposal in order to assure they don’t look like the bad guys. In a business that makes its money by fan appeal both sides need to stay angelic in the public’s eyes. Today is a big day for American football’s future. Next week is going to be even bigger. Let’s just hope that these two sides can settle their differences and play football, hopefully in time for me to get a summer internship.
I wish I knew more about the details of the CBA, but I know that if there is a lockout its not only going to affect the players and owners and fans, but it will also hurt all of the people that are employed by the NFL. The people who rely on their jobs as trainers, as security, or in concessions at the stadiums will be extremely affected. One of the proposals that I hope get implemented into the new CBA is a rookie wage scale. These rookies get paid way too much, and they haven’t even proved a damn thing on the professional football field. All of these rookies who hold out and don’t join their team until they have the money and years that they want are absolute jokes. Play your heart out on the field, earn your pay, and then negotiate. Word!