NFL players picketed in 1987 when they went on strike.
Is a lockout or strike on the horizon in 2011? |
National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell initially didn’t seem to want to say much about a potential 2011 lockout, or at least as of Monday he didn't. "We have a lot of work to do, and we're going to get at it," Goodell said. By Weds., when Goodell appeared on ESPN’s Jim Rome is Burning, that tune had started to change. “Both parties will be prepared for all alternatives," Goodell said. "I think that's smart on everyone's part. That's how you put yourself in the best bargaining position”
After an exciting Week One, the non-stop murmur around the league remains: this could be the last season before labor strife hits the league. Last month NFL Players Association Executive Director DeMaurice Smith said he has already began preparing players for a lockout, even going as far as to say a stoppage is eminent. The NFLPA even created a program for players to save a quarter of the money they earn called the 25/25 program.
To players, fans, owners, television stations and everyone else involved, the nervous tension of impending doom will be tough to ignore. A lockout would be the first stoppage since 1987. We are taught to learn from history, so we compare the potential lockout in '87 to potential Armageddon in 2011:
The Free Agency Issue
In ‘87, free agency didn’t exist; the owners in’87 were reluctant to allow free agency because salaries inherently increase when players are on the market. The free agency situation could be a little more complicated. If no agreement is reached before the upcoming season, the 2010 and 2011 seasons would be “uncapped,” which means there will be no salary cap. One would think NFLers will end up with A-Rod-like salaries and players and be elated, but this is not the case because road-block restrictions are in place for 2010 and ’11. These restrictions are:
Players would have to wait six years instead of four to become free agents. Players would have to wait two more years to get their big pay day. For example, Michael Turner wouldn’t have been able to be signed by the Falcons after 2007 for $34.5 million, he’d still have to back up Tomlinson in San Diego until the end of ‘09.
Teams would be able to franchise tag three players instead of one. Currently, a team can put the tag on a player to keep them from becoming an unrestricted free agent. The player is then paid the average of the highest five salaries in the league at the same position. If in 2010 every team used all three franchise tags, it would mean 60 less players could become free agents.
Some Questions
- Something everyone is wondering: Will there be a public relations battle? There’s already been talk that DeMaurice Smith is using the media to gain public support by talking about a lockout as if it’s a foregone conclusion. But, past strikes and lockouts damaged the league long term and as former Buffalo Bills defensive back Jeff Nixon (a survivor of 1987) put it, “no one wants to kill the golden goose.” Goodell seems to be taking a no-stone-throwing approach, even going as far as to say that it's the NFL's job to avoid a lockout.
- Will there be lawsuits and court cases? Powell vs. NFL challenged owners right to continue player restrictions though there was no agreement. A judge ruled the NFL could not do so because it violated anti-trust laws. This could happen again especially because of the precedent set by the Powell vs. NFL ruling.
- Will there be replacement players? No. Replacement players would never be an option. In ‘87, the TV network contracts were not guaranteed, meaning if there were no games being played, the NFL would receive no money. In 2011, the TV contracts are guaranteed; the NFL gets paid whether players are on the field or picket line.
Other Notes
- In ‘87, 15 percent of NFL players went against their association and played football. In 2011 this would likely not be the case because, or at least DeMaurice Smith says, the owners will lock players out if an agreement cannot be reached instead of a strike.
- During the '87 strike, the players on strike felt betrayed by teammates who crossed the line causing extreme dysfunction in the locker room. If there is a lockout in 2011, the players will be united behind their leader DeMaurice Smith while the two sides battle it out. Bottom line: it will be less messy.
Will a lockout or strike happen? At this point, both sides are as nervous as their adoring fans. But after the 1987 strike, the players association and owners still didn’t reach a collective bargaining agreement until 1989. Hopefully for fans, history won’t repeat itself.
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Matthew Coller is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter
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