Just for clarification, Ross Tucker is a
former player. He is rubbing his hands with glee at the consternation he believes other NFL owners must feel to know the Packers, the team from the smallest media market in any professional sport, turned a profit last year. He believes the NFLPA can use this fact as evidence against the owners' argument that the percentage of league revenues devoted to player compensation must decrease. He isn't that the Packers
should have reduced their profits -- only that other owners may feel that way.
For the record, I disagree with his premise. I think the Packers' financials actually
support the owners' contentions. As has been posted in another thread, the Packers organization netted one of its lowest profits in many years last season. Is this because of the recession? Only partly. It's also because, according to a recent study that was conducted by my own university, operational expenses for teams across the league have skyrocketed in recent years -- far out of proportion to increases in revenue. Thus profit margins are steadily declining across the league. The Cowboys last year posted barely a $10 million profit, which on an investment as gigantic as a) looming debt service on a $1 billion stadium; b) an annual $120 million payroll (not counting coaching, maintenance and administrative staff!); and c) sundry operational expenses, is simply not tenable for long.
Of course you never hear a word about this from the NFLPA. They dismiss it cavalierly as the owners' problem. Well, if changes aren't made, it's swiftly going to become their problem too.
The owners argue that player compensation as a percentage of gross revenues should decline to account for the changing (escalating) costs of doing business in the NFL. I think they're absolutely right. The NFLPA needs to take care that they stay mindful of the broad financial situation besetting their league, or they may find themselves killing the golden goose. All the sentimental blather about "tradition" and "rivalry" and "honor" aside, the NFL is first and foremost a business. No person in his right mind will continue to shoulder the risk of owning a team franchise if he can't have a reasonable expectation of profit.
I side squarely with the owners on this issue.