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Published on 02/08/2011 at Tue Feb 08 08:31.
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SPEAK UP: Will there be a lockout on Mar. 4th?

Posted Tue Feb 8th by

LockoutIf things keep going the way they are the league and the player’s union will never reach a new collective bargaining agreement. If the new agreement is not reached by March 4th, the owners will lockout the players. This lockout could be detrimental to players such as Eddie Royal who wouldn’t be allowed to rehab from his arthroscopic hip surgery at the team’s facilities or Tim Tebow who will miss the very much needed mental reps over the offseason. There are several disconnects holding the new agreement up like an 18-game season and a rookie pay scale. Despite Roger Goodell‘s adamant statements to the fans that there will be football next season, the owner’s are much more skeptical and ready to close up shop.

The NFL recently told owners that they could lose $1 billion by next September because companies and fans would be unwilling to invest in the league because of the labor uncertainty.

The league instructed the owner’s not to pay for player’s non-heath benefits such as life insurance to save each team $10 million, turning into $320 million across all 32 teams. Another $18 million per team is being held by the league to help build up the lockout fund.

The league also is in the process of holding back $18 million per club from pooled revenue that otherwise would have been paid out to them.

Combine those two figures and the league has a $896,000,000 lockout fund, nearly enough to cover the estimated losses. The league isn’t the only side preparing for the long cold winter either:

The NFL Players Association is building its own war chest, an amount that’s now in excess of $200 million. Total assets for the union, which includes the value of the group’s building, stood at $311 million as of March 31, according to the NFLPA’s annual report.

So what do you think Bronco fans? Will the two sides come together at the last minute or are we doomed to only watch baseball this upcoming September?

Will the owners lock out the players on March 4th?

View Results

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  • 42n8

    My prayer is that sanity, or at least greed, will win out & both side will realize that a lock-out only kills the golden goose. I gave up on baseball for years after their last strike, and am poised to do the same with football. Sure, my money is not important to either owners or players, but I am a FAN and that should matter to both sides in this ridiculous argument.

  • Dwillie

    I too was an avid baseball fan all my life but gave up at the last strike and never looked back. I followed the Dodgers in Brooklyn to LA and read every box score every day. Now I could care less and may watch a playoff game or WS once in awhile. Players and owners don't know how good they have it until they destroy it.

  • areferee

    Professional football is the highest rated sport in North America and its owners have the support of the majority of our society. The media, the Networks, the sponsors, the TV ratings and the large majority of fans who are somewhat impatient with the “perceived” greed of the “millionaire” players association, all have empowered ownership to take a stand and reverse the gains that were made by the players under the previous agreement.

    It IS all about profits, and the owners have decided that profits for the #1 sport should be greater than they are. Regardless of the outcome of the lockout, which it almost a certainty, for the average fan, costs are going to go up. Plan on paying more for parking, hot dogs, beer and Broncos' paraphernalia.

    As the two sides negotiate, there will be no one there representing the fans, regardless of what Commissioner Goodell would have you believe. We will be paying the freight, and the charges will be higher. If the lockout lasts for months, the final price will be even higher, because it's the fans that will pick up the bill…just like always!

  • http://broncotalk.net Kyle

    My guess is there will be certainly be a lockout March 4th. The first few weeks of the season may be missed too. But we'll have several months of football next year.

  • http://www.broncotalk.net Josh Temple

    Good lord it depressed me to click yes on that. But without any new headway made by the Super Bowl this definitely isn't going to be resolved soon. I'm guessing training camp, AT BEST.

  • MrEast

    Wow, I couldn't have said it better myself.

  • herc_rock

    The lockout will happen, but it'll be over by the draft. The PA will fold like they always do.

  • jdkchem

    I have absolutely zero sympathy for either side.

  • It

    When the season becomes affected…I will do what I did for base ball…simply find something else to do…It will hard to get me back ….because when you really think about it…do you think that Owners or Players really care about us the fans. Dollar signs….rule and it's this greed that wakes up the casual fan to get up and go golf or pick up other hobbies…which in the long run will make us happier.

  • mikebirty

    Yes. Next question please.

  • Ajenkins

    no, i dont think there will be a lockout- and if there is i dont see it lasting long enough to effect the draft or any games. both sides know that there is too much to lose.

    i don't have much sympathy for either side, as jdk mentioned. but i am a little more on the side of the owner than the player. many years (and even some teams currently) don't make money- can someone point the the article where the players union kicked in part of their paycheck to help them out? if the players union hates the pay structure so much, why dont they form their own league? nobody would be able to stop them if everybody retired from the nfl and went to a new league. but they wont do that because they dont want to take the same risks that the current owners have- laying out a ton of cash to field a team, build stadiums, market their teams, etc… all in hopes of fielding a great team and making some money along the way.

  • Evoman1960

    Just because a deal is not done by march doesn't mean there won't be a season. It could hamper free agency and make things uncertain for awhile but as long as deal gets done by say June it won't have a major impact on the up coming season. Any later than June it will do some damage when it comes to mini camps and getting ready to go into training camp. Sure a few off season workouts will be missed but that about it.

  • Mergrath

    I don't even need to share my thoughts…because areferee just did! SLAM DUNK!!!

  • Mergrath

    I just hope in the end that not one person on either side side gets inducted into the HOF for getting this thing done!

  • Big_Pete

    I disagree. If there is a lockout (I think there will be), and it goes beyond maybe the first week of April, then it will absolutely affect the upcoming season. Think about how many free agents that a team might sign that would affect their draft board? Think of how many players that might be trade fodder for either draft picks, or other players that will affect the team and their draft board. Also, remember, undrafted free agents (Like Rod Smith) will not be signed by teams, because, again, you can't sign free agents after the lockout happens.
    Just because “training camp” is when most people think that the meat and potatoes of the upcoming season happens doesn't mean that they know what they are talking about. Imagine if your team needs a few essential free agents, and actually get to sign them, but they can only sign them a day before Training Camp, becasue that's when the CBA is signed. Talk about putting that player WAY behind the learning curve. What once could have been a great signing, might now be a million dollar waste of a roster spot.
    April is when this thing needs to be done. It is essential to not mess with the draft, and not having a CBA to allow trades and free agency will mess with the draft, whether anyone likes it or not.

  • RaiderKen

    I know for one thing rookies make way too damn much money. That said, there should still be a cap and minimum so the owners have to give more money to veteran players.
    Also free agency sux for the fans of teams that lose the player they drafted 4-6 years earlier. A jersey just isn't the same anymore. Go out and buy another $150.00 Jersey.
    Having to Franchise a player is bad for both the player and the owners. The player feels stiffed even though he is making 12.5 mil because he wants the big signing bonus. The owners end up overpaying not to lose their best player.
    This thing needs to get straightened out, but unfortunately not in time.

  • CJ

    Shaun Rodgers is gonna be cut!

  • http://nation.theorangepage.com/blog Ian Henson

    I voted no. It may not end March 4th, but the slaves know who owns the plantation. You start taking away insurance, the players will fall line quickly. The owners are playing dirty.

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  • Ifritzke

    Now the owners are requiring season ticket holders to pay half of their season tickets by March 4 in preperation of the lockout…now they are taking money from our pockets to pay for their greed…this money is nonrefundable if there is no season

  • jk

    I say lockout, boycott.

  • jk

    I say lockout, boycott.