Who Cares?

Ok, well, I must care because I'm blogging about this. But, in a very short time, I won't care, because I'll find better things to do with my time. On a day when an 8.9 magnitude earthquake hit Japan, causing loss of life and potentially billions of dollars in damage, the NFL players union decertified in the on-going labor strife with the NFL owners. In a time when there is 9% unemployment, Billionaires (owners) are fighting with Millionaires (players) over $650 million dollars a year. If you ask me (and I hope most normal people)...this is ridiculous!

The NFL is the golden goose, and greed is going to kill the golden goose. Well, greed and pride...as the NFL Players Association Director DeMaurice Smith put it, “Well it is with a great deal of pride that the members and the players of the National Football League said ‘No…We are going to demand as your business partners that you meet us halfway and justify taking any money from us.” As Proverbs 16:18 puts is..."Pride goes before disaster, and a haughty spirit before a fall." There's obviously way too much pride here, and this decertification is a disaster for the NFL. The decertification starts the process of allowing the players to file anti-trust lawsuits against the NFL owners, which could lead to the loss of the 2011 season.

When baseball lost the 1994 World Series due to labor strife, fans stayed away. In fact, it was around that time that the NFL surpassed baseball in popularity, and it's remained that way ever since. Now, in their pride and haughtiness, the owners and players have decided that they will put the fans to the test. They are going to risk the future of this league, betting on the fact that the fans will come back after this mess is over. If history is any indication, the NFL is in for some lean years if this labor clash results in missed games. Fans will find other things to do with their Sunday afternoons and Monday evenings, because there are other options out there. Yes, I think the NFL is in for a fall, and both sides are to blame.

This is the last comment you will hear from me on this topic until it is resolved. I don't care what kind of garbage each side puts out there. I'm sure DeMaurice Smith, who is a trial lawyer by trade, will represent the players in this mess, and he has proven capable of saying just about anything. In fact, a conspiracy theorist could hypothesize that Smith orchestrated this whole thing, knowing that he would, most likely, get to represent the players in their litigation against the league. On the other side, you have owners who are very wealthy and full of pride. They are used to getting their own way, and I expect they won't budge, and will probably say some ridiculous things along the way as well. But, I plan to remain silent...this mess gets no more time from me.

So, I'm signing off on this topic for the duration. Over and Out!