Posted in Random Musings
Dear NFL
I don’t write about sports very often on my blog. It isn’t that I am not a big sports fan, I am. I have just never felt very interested in writing about them. My first job as a writer was working for the Contra Costa Times in their sports department. I hated it. However, I feel moved right now to express an opinion on the sport which I have grown to love above all others.
Dear NFL, go fuck yourself. Sincerely and from the very bottom of my heart. Signed, a very big fan. I mean it too. I am tired of it all, the drama, the finger pointing, the legal wrangling. You are fighting over a 9 billion dollar pie. Get this shit done and get it done now. My school district has let go 20% of its staff over the last few years and we consider ourselves lucky. There were other districts who have had it worse. Unemployment is soaring in every state. Workers being forced to take pay cuts. People still struggling to find jobs. I repeat 9 billion dollars.
Look, I am not one of those people who begrudge you the money. If the money is there and it clearly is, you should get to earn it. I also don’t think players or owners should take a bad deal. That is what negotiations are about. Get your ass back to the table and negotiate. I have negotiated contracts. I have been in a room where the people on the other side of the table hated me. It was uncomfortable and awkward. Somehow we got the deal done.
All of this public posturing and game playing is silly. Decertifying your union when there are unions all over the United States fighting for their lives. Owners locking out players when your teams and your product is worth more than they have ever been. Do you not realize what this looks like to the rest of us? Are you so desperate to shoot yourself in the foot and ruin your product you can’t see how your fans are unhappy. You don’t think this is hurting you? Look what happened to baseball when they had their big labor strife. They lost an immense amount of popularity. You will lose fans, count on it.
This will not end well if it does not end soon. Both sides of this coin look idiotic right now. Your sport has never made more money and never been more popular. You should be holding on to that with every ounce of your strength. Remember you are not the only form of entertainment in town. People will choose to spend their dollars elsewhere if this keeps up. Once they start spending those dollars elsewhere many will not come back. You know who really wants to see you implode, Major League Baseball. I can see the drool dripping down the sides of their face now. I am sure they would love to take a few of those fans and their dollars off of your hands. Oh, how they dream of being the number one sport in the U.S. again. Time to suck it up and get it done before it is too late. Put me in the room to negotiate. I swear to you I won’t come out of it without a deal. Your fans are watching. You will be judged accordingly.
