NFL Lockout: The Real Cost of No Football

NFL Lockout: The Real Cost of No Football
Casey Reese

            Since the conclusion of the 2010 NFL season only a few weeks prior to the posting of this blog, the main topic discussed in regards to the National Football League has been the potential lockout and player strike that could potentially occur this year, putting an end to the 2011 season before it even begins. Why is this situation happening, and what cost will it have to us, other than our own Pittsburgh Steelers?

            Since the NFL decided not to extend the current CBA (collective bargaining agreement), it will expire in March of the current year, following a year in which there was not a salary cap or salary floor. A new CBA has not been adopted by the NFL Players Association (the NFLPA, or the union that represents NFL players) or the National Football League, and without a CBA in place, a lockout would ensue. Disputes over health care benefits, the proposed extension of the regular season to 18 games rather than 16 games while keeping salaries the same and increasing the injury risk, and the percentage of funds that players receive (currently at roughly 59%, which the league would like to see lowered) have forced the NFLPA to contest the current CBA in order to ensure an equal benefit for both parties in the upcoming agreement.

            According to the AFL-CIO (a major American union), the upcoming lockout would cost each city that hosts an NFL franchise an average of around $140 million dollars per city in addition to thousands of jobs outside of the players and owners. These would include hotel workers, concession workers, stadium workers, and so on, players who do not directly participate in the sport but are employed as a result of the popularity of the National Football League. The result of such losses would be crippling, potentially leading to a domino effect within the community that would lead to greater job loss and a limitation of investment due to the funds lost to the lockout. (As stated here) These numbers are even different for the NFLPA’s estimates, which estimate roughly $160 million dollars per city, with around 3,000 jobs per city. If New York City is accounted for twice on behalf of both of its teams, this number works out to be $5.1 billion dollars and 96,000 jobs nationally.  (As stated here)

            These are substantial numbers in a period of economic recovery for the United States. As talks continue, the NFLPA and the NFL have hired a federal mediator in order to resolve the situation in a timely fashion that would be fair to both parties. In my opinion, a lockout will not occur, and a great deal of rhetoric has been hashed out by both sides in order to build a stronger case to get what they want. In the end, a compromise is imminent, with an 18 game season likely to come to be, while player salaries will increase as the number of games played will do the same.  Compromise will ultimately prevent us from missing the only thing that matters on Sundays: football.