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First, it was NFL Players Association head DeMaurice Smith’s turn. The NFLPA’s head started his media rounds in attempt to inform - or rather win over - the public. Smith spoke with SB Nation, here’s some of the highlights:
On players’ “piece of the pie:”
"One of the biggest "myths" the NFLPA talked about was that the players received 60% of the total revenue. The 60% number is the one you hear most often thrown about as the players' piece of the total pie.
Not so fast on that, the union says.
The NFL is a $9 billion a year business and nearly everyone cites the players portion of that as 60%. The NFLPA added a little clarification to that, which a spokesman called one of the biggest issues they face.
Yes, the NFL brings in $9 billion in total revenue. However, the league gets $1 billion shaved off the top of that and the players get 60% of the remaining $8 billion -- not $9 billion. If you use the actual total revenue, according to the NFLPA, the players portion is closer to 50%, which is a sizable difference when you're talking billions.
Meanwhile, Executive Director DeMaurice Smith went on to tell us there are two key ways to measure the success of the NFL -- assets and profits."
On “measure of success:”
"As far as assets, the NFL has grown by 500% in the last 15 years. Several NFLPA employees have tried to find businesses that have had similar growth but haven't been able to do so, they say, which is a mark of how successful the league has been. No one's denying the incredible success of the league and the record breaking revenues it brings in each year. In fact, the Packers, the NFL's only team that publicly reports it's financials, posted record-breaking revenue numbers this year.
The other side of measuring success, profits, isn't available to the NFLPA (other than the Packers, the smallest market). They have repeatedly asked the NFL to "open its books" to which the NFL has repeatedly declined. The NFLPA's stance on this is that they "can't negotiate blindly" and need to know what they're negotiating against. The NFL obviously feels there is a problem with the current system, which is why they opted out of it, but will not provide the NFLPA with information they say they need.
It is important to note that every other CBA has been completed without the NFL opening its books. To this, Smith says, "That doesn't make it right."
The NFL’s Jeff Pash responding to some of the NFLPA’s claims
Players making money:
There is no question that economics play a role with it. There’s no question about that. I think if the clubs have shown anything, they’ve shown that they have a very good ability to grow the game and to develop revenues, 60 percent of which goes to the players.
If you look at player salaries during the last 10 years or so, they’ve gone up quite substantially, not because we’ve added players but because players are earning more money because the clubs have been working hard to build the game. That’s what we want to continue doing, and we think we can do it.
Rookie Wage Scale:
I think a rookie wage scale would have a lot of very positive advantages, starting with making it possible to shift money from rookies who are untested to proven veterans and to help fund improved retiree benefits.
Your listeners may have seen this piece (by Sports Illustrated) yesterday that showed the 50 highest-paid athletes in professional sports. Five of the 50 were NFL rookies. I don’t believe there was a rookie in any other sport. The people who were on that list in other sports were proven veterans: guys like Alex Rodriguez, Phil Mickelson, Jimmy Johnson and guys who have proven themselves.
There is no reason why a player should come into the NFL and before he has his first practice is one of the highest-paid players not only in the league but in all of professional sports.
Work Stoppage:
I can tell you with complete confidence that we will work as hard as we can everyday to make sure that doesn’t happen because we know what our responsibility is to our fans.
If you enjoyed this, there’s more and more to come. The CBA will be a black cloud hanging over this season. And, as far as the two sides are away from each other on current talks, we won’t see a new agreement until the final hour if at all.
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Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter
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