To all my readers this is a letter from a fan of the greatest game in the world. I have been watching football since I was six years old. My father is a big fan and showed me the passion for the game. Every Fall season comes around and I look forward to it because my team [The Miami Dolphins] always have a chance of making it to the Super Bowl. I love the hype and attention that fills the week leading up to kickoff. Now for the first time since 1987 the NFL is locking out the players. YES that is right we have a lockout! Why do we have a lockout? We have a lockout because the main issue like everything else in life is about money.
The simplest way to break it down is as follows: There is a 9 billion dollar TV revenue money that the owners of each NFL franchise is collecting but are not sharing with the players. With this big piece of the pie that the players are completely aware of, now they want a piece. HOLD UP! On top of that money being collected by the owners for the TV contracts they are claiming that they are losing money. The players are then asking to see all the financial books and audits from the owners for a new collective bargaining agreement. If the owners want the players to be apart of the collective bargaining agreement then they must give up something to be successful. Well the time period for this has expired and we are into the third week of the lockout with no new progress. As a fan I want both sides to come to an agreement so that there is another season in 2011. The owners should give up the books to the players if they want to make them partners. Let the players see the books! It has been two year since the players have been asking for this and you then come out after the Super Bowl and say that you had a 1 billion dollars set aside because you [the owners] knew that the day was coming. How do you expect the players to come to an agreement when you are not bargaining fairly.
There are other issues that the owners are bringing to the table which include a 18 game schedule and other rule changes. The players do not want an 18 game schedule because they feel the league does not do enough to insure the health of the players after their careers are over. If the player suffers a career ending injury the players do not have life insurance once they are out of the game. Legendary NFL Veterans are suffering through fatal injuries because of not having a retirement plan for the players after their playing days.
I do not understand as a fan how we can be arguing over money for a game that is beloved by the world. I do not understand how new NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell let this happen. He has been a strict, hard, no non-sense Commissioner when it comes to player conduct policy but yet cannot get the two sides to agree on a new CBA [Collective Bargaining Agreement]. Paul Tagliabue, the former NFL Commissioner would have never let this happen. And Gene Upshaw former director of the NFLPA[NFL Players Association] must rolling in his grave to see these turn of events.
Players and Owners, I urge that you come to a new CBA so that there is a season in 2011. Owners, I urge you to give the players something so that the bargaining process can go about. Let's get a deal done for the sake of not having replacement players and reliving the USFL days.
Sincerely,
Mr. Zome
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