From the perspective of a fan the NFL labor dispute is very troubling. I have to admit that these kinds of disputes can really hurt a community. We have seen what dependence upon a large employer can do to a town if they happen to restructure their company. I can say that the town which I live in has been devastated by a labor dispute between unionized employees and Roquette America Inc. I know the example is not something sports related, but this is the kind of issue that needs to be dealt with.
You have to understand that both sides seem to have valid reasons to be upset about this current labor dispute. The National Football League Players Association did not walk away from the current collective bargaining agreement, so in a sense the owners were the ones who broke away from the agreement. The question that has to arise for fans is whether or not less profitable franchises could be eliminated from the league all together if the league decides to move away from some sort of revenue sharing model. The owner of the Dallas Cowboys, Jerry Jones for example seems to have an extreme dislike of the league's current revenue sharing model.
If I were an NFL retiree I may be more willing to align myself in agreement with the owners' position on this labor dispute. Matthew Stafford, the number one pick of the Detroit Lions signed a contract that gives him a guaranteed salary of almost forty two million dollars.
An NFL Hall of Fame player like Earl Campbell of the Houston Oilers on the other hand is unable to get out of bed in the morning on his own and has to pay a high amount of his surgical costs out of his own pocket. The fact of the matter is that the difference between Stafford was able to sign for and what Earl Campbell has to go through may be a sign that the rookie pay scale is way out of line with what it should be.
There are other issues such as the franchise tag disputes which need to be dealt with. These appear to be fairly minor issues when you compare it to the possibility of an eighteen game season or the need to provide better financial management courses for rookies who happen to come into the league.
As a fan I can see the benefit of getting two more regular season games, but I can also see how many fans would be frustrated if more of their favorite players were to get injured during the season.
The hope is that the labor dispute gets settled. I want to see some quality professional football played every season. I believe other fans deserve to see quality professional football played every season.
