Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Goodell: Wah, Wah, Wahhhhh


First of all, God Bless judge Susan Richard Nelson!

I feel like Joe Namath to Suzy Kolber, drunk and giddy: "I want to kiss you! Yeeaaaggghhhh!!"

But now the league's red-headed spokesape, took to his computer to write a boo-hoo op/ed to the Wall Street Journal, about what awful things will come to the NFL if the players are allowed to "win" this dispute.

If this is the best response the owners have, they are in really deep trouble!

My friend and sports/anti-trust maven Skip Oliva has an excellent post here, deconstructing and destroying Roger's "argument" point by point.

You should read it all, but in case you are too lazy, let me  pull quote the money part of it:
But there’s an even more direct argument against Goodell’s “we can’t let the players be free agents” mantra: If a decentralized labor system is unacceptable when it comes to playing talent, why is it acceptable when it comes to managerial talent? After all, coaches, general managers, scouts, and all other non-player personnel aren’t subject to the rigors of a government-sponsored union contract. Teams are generally free to hire and promote managerial talent as they see fit. Yet we don’t hear any complaining from Goodell about out-of-control spending on general managers or offensive coordinators. Dan Snyder can hire five coaches in ten years — often at record salaries — but somehow it’s inconceivable that a backup right tackle could negotiate his own contract without strictly adhering to a 300 page labor agreement negotiated by a union he may never have consented to join. 
And that’s really what Roger Goodell really cares about — that labor agreement. He values rules and regulations more than anything else. It’s what justified the existence of the commissioner’s office in the first place. Clearly, Goodell contributes nothing to the product of professional football; all the evidence of Goodell’s tenure suggests just the opposite. And as much as Goodell gripes about the players resorting to litigation over negotiation, the truth is that nobody benefits more from the government’s involvement in the NFL — be it through labor or antitrust law — as the “commissioner of the National Football League.” He holds a quasi-governmental title for a reason.
Amen to all of that! 
What would be finally nice for this league, is to forcibly washout old line, mom-n-pop graybeard owners like the Wilsons, Browns, and Bidwells (among others) who use the lucrative TV contract, strict salary cap, and college entry draft to maintain a FACADE of being competitive, when in fact they are doing very little to actually COMPETE with better run clubs - either financially, or through deft management and proper hiring of top level administrative talent (i.e. coaches, scouts, GMs etc...)
The net-net of what Roger is saying, is that the players are on the verge of ruining a very good system, that has rocketed the league's growth and made everyone rich.
To which one has to ask: "Yeah, dummy. So why did your owners decide to kick the legs out from under it in the first place?"
At this point, I'd love to see the players go for the whole enchilada. Assuming they win the appeal of the lockout being lifted, they will get to play a 2011 season under last year's rules (still quite good for players) while continuing their suit against the league in Brady v. NFL.
If they win that, then the players can try out a few years of "wild west" football, where college players do their own deals with teams, the stars like Brady and Manning find out they are actually worth $40 million a year, not just $20 million, and most of the rank of file players realize the "protections" of the old system weren't really much "protection" after all.
If this new system isn't working after 2 years, then guess what? They can always vote to re-form as a union.
This way, the Mike Browns would be in deep water, and likely would opt to sell their franchises (Get out now, while the getting is good!). And so what if another rich Russian like Mikhail Prokhorof buys the Bengals? 
I bet there are many rich dudes who would gladly LOSE up to $100 million a year on a genuine NFL franchise, just for the glory of being good, and making the Super Bowl. Or, at least he would try. 
Mike Brown isn't going to do that. He's counting what money is going to go to his great-great-great-nephews someday.
Bengal fans: #winning! Free agent players: #winning! NFL as a league: #doingjustfinethanks!

15 comments:

  1. Steve,

    What amuses me is that you are very much an anti-union type given your hard right views. But, the first instance of a need to battle the company for your own protection, you cosy up to the union faster than Lilo to a Vodka and tonic.

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  2. Unbelievable. And of course, Rodge didn't write it, one of his educated goons did.

    Czabe's not exactly a liberal, so for him to back the players says a lot. Anyone paying even half attention can see the league are being big-time A-holes.

    Not holding my breath for player solidarity, tho... *sigh*

    - Stike

    P.S. - Christopher's post was stupid, don't made no sense.

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  3. Czabe,

    While true the "old" system allowed the bidwells, browns, and wilsons to not spend a put crap teams on the field, it also leveled the field so "small" market team like Green Bay, Jacksonville, Carolina, New Orleans (Yes they are a small market) can put high quality, competitive teams. Overall this makes for a better product on the field.

    To see what the problems of an open market can do, all you need to do is look at the Synders, Jones, Davis that prove that throwing money around, especially when its dumb money, doesnt always produce a winner.

    I do think the owners are screwing it up, but an open system is not the answer.

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  4. I just realized why Czabe has taken the Owners-Are-Idiots and The-Draft-Sucks route..it's because his team the big suck on both ends.

    And way throw down with the donkeycrats...

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  5. I still don't get why the Draft was moved to Thursday....

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  6. "For many years, the collectively bargained system ... has worked enormously well for the NFL, for NFL players, and for NFL fans."

    So why did you blow it up?

    "Prior to filing their litigation, players and their representatives publicly praised the current system and argued for extending the status quo."

    And you put on your Dr. Evil jacket and locked them out, demanding one beeeeeellion dollars. Nice move, Commissioner Clouseau.

    "Now they are singing a far different tune, attacking in the courts the very arrangements they said were working just fine. "
    As you sing the praises of the system YOU JUST BLEW UP!

    You and the owners made it perfectly clear that you weren't willing to tweak the old system, which was designed to prevent work stoppages by having the last year of the deal be Un-Capped, fearsome and dangerous territory. The owners opted out of the old system. The owners demanded big changes. Well, you're getting big changes.

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  7. Curious as to why you mock Goodell as red- headed? Do you mock blacks as flat nosed or Jews as big nosed?

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  8. This indeed is 1 of the dumber articles Czabe has ever posted for many reasons as stated above. Red-headed...seriously? Anyway, only a total fool would want an open system - football has built its greatness on a system that is NOT open and free and almost guarantees competitive balance. Competitive balance is the main reason football is more popular than the other big sports. If you want to see what an open system would do, look no further than baseball where you consistently have teams with NO chance of doing anything other than once every couple decades.

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  9. Ruh Roh...the gingers aren't happy!

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  10. Gingers? Not quite- just find it curious to see what kind of discourse site has- looks to be around 6th grade level. And that's fine but can we also make fun of black people's noses and nappy hair? How about Jew noses? I can make fun of gingers blacks and Jews all day. Can Czabe?

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  11. "Mike Brown isn't going to do that. He's counting what money is going to go to his great-great-great-nephews someday."

    So, Czabe, are you now advocating for a "death tax" too?

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  12. Czabe,
    Not sure if you have addressed this is on any of your shows. But do you get the feeling that Goodell is just the Commissioner for the owners. If you watched him on the NFL network yesterday, you'll get what I mean.
    Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought he was the commissioner of the NFL (the league which includes Owners and players and possibly "Fans") and not of just the NFL owners.

    Cheers, love your shows.

    Sunil Anand

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  13. Jeebus, now even Czabe's attracting trolls!

    *flipping Jim a quarter* - buy a clue, son.

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  14. Steve,
    Your a fucking moron. You dont like Goodell and your pissed at the owners... whahhhh!

    So you now support a system to blow everything up? If you can be honest, the only reason you want to blow it up is a) to see some pain for Goodell and the owners and b) in the faint hope that Snyder can unleash a bank account big enought to buy a championship.

    Pretty petty shit Czabe

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  15. I have learned that politics and each side is one of the worst things in American society. They always have to put a stamp on each issue as Liberal vs conservatives on each discussion. I dont like that in my sports. These people should stick to their comcast political forums or At&t.

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