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Proposed New NFL CBA Dividing Players Over Wealth Inequality

Younger players may favor the proposal because there would be an immediate increases of minimum salariesGETTY IMAGES

The proposed new NFL CBA is "creating plenty of division among the players," as many veterans and stars appear against the deal while the league's "rank-and-file players seem to be for it," according to Ben Volin of the BOSTON GLOBE. One reason many younger players may be in favor of the terms is because they call for "immediate increases of $90,000 or more to minimum salaries." The "problem with the NFLPA in these negotiations is the player body is so diverse and fractured." Most players "don't really care about the long-term future of the league, they just want to play a few years in the NFL and make a little money" (BOSTON GLOBE, 2/27). USA TODAY's Jarrett Bell writes labor peace in the NFL has "seemingly come down to a class struggle." If this deal "hinged on star power, it might crumble." Yet for all of the "respect and leadership possessed by some of the NFL's best-known and highest-paid players, this matter could essentially swing with the collective weight of the have-nots." For ratification, the vote "needs a simple majority of participants -- and if only half the players of an often-apathetic rank-and-file decide to vote, it's a majority of that" (USA TODAY, 2/27). ESPN's Mike Tannenbaum noted no CBA ever will be "perfect, but there's a lot of good things in there for the rank-and-file, for the players that make up ... the majority of the rosters" ("NFL Live," ESPN, 2/26).

LOOKING OUT FOR EVERYONE: ESPN's Bomani Jones noted there are "four different kinds of players" that make up the NFL and are looking for different things from the CBA: QBs, like Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson, who yesterday spoke out against the deal; star players; "veteran minimum-type players"; and everyone else. Jones: "These are the guys where the NFL is like, 'How'd you like an extra $100,000 to play this 17th game?' At those prices for them, it's absolutely worth it" ("High Noon," ESPN, 2/26). One agent yesterday said that he will "recommend that his players ratify the deal because of the economic gains, the reduction of hitting during training camp and the virtual elimination of suspensions for a positive marijuana test." The agent said, "The deal is good for the guys who are in the middle class of players and down from that. Not every player is Aaron Rodgers or J.J. Watt" (WASHINGTON POST, 2/27). 

WIDENING DIVIDE: THE RINGER's Danny Heifetz wrote the current bargaining process has "highlighted a fundamental dynamic influencing the negotiations: wealth inequality among NFL players." For all the "differences between the NFL and every other industry, it has remarkable similarities to the rest of American society." The middle class is "disappearing, and the gap between the haves and have-nots is as wide as ever." This CBA negotiation "seems to be splitting the NFL's richest players from the league’s rank-and-file" (THERINGER.com, 2/26). In Chicago, Hub Arkush writes the "inherent weakness of the NFLPA is not a criticism of or negative commentary on its membership in any way." With average careers of "under four years and almost certainly at least" 90% of the players "earning dramatically more annually than they ever will again in their lives, the overwhelming majority of the membership simply can't afford a work stoppage." They have "no leverage whatsoever" (Chicago DAILY HERALD, 2/27). 

ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM: THE MMQB's Albert Breer wrote he believes the 17th regular-season game is the "reason why opposition against the current CBA proposal has persisted." It has been "clear from the start that players are leery about the idea of extending their season," and a lot of them "knew that the owners' strong desire to do that ... created leverage." So some players "wanted the union to push for more, in just about every category." The money in this deal is "good," but if one was "looking for a game-changer, then this really isn't that" (SI.com, 2/26). ESPN's Dan Le Batard said players "need to continue to ask for more and more and more from a league that continues to say 'Safety First' while doing things like this that can't be 'Safety First'" ("Highly Questionable," ESPN, 2/26). However, ESPN's Trey Wingo said, "If you really want to change this and you really want to do this, you've got to understand you are going all the way back to square one and beginning this thing from start to finish." ESPN's Mike Golic: "They can vote this down and they can all have in the back of their mind, 'We can just redo this in 13 months.' But it could look very different by then" ("Golic & Wingo," ESPN Radio, 2/27).

TAKING THEIR TIME: USA TODAY's Mike Jones reports a full player body vote on the proposed CBA "likely won't happen this week, with a date still yet to be set." NFLPA President Eric Winston said, "The one thing we're not doing is rushing through this thing. Every 'I' will be dotted and every 'T' will be crossed. And when it happens, it happens." Jones notes there is "no clear timetable in holding a vote for the full union membership." The owners have "made a strong push to complete the deal by the start of the league year on March 18." But Winston said that the players "remain committed to getting the best possible deal and not rushing to do so" (USA TODAY, 2/27).

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