I think "Gridiron" is an appropriate name
Happy 4th July American readers. And given that 2 of the big 4 US sports are currently embroiled in lockouts (official term for owner-authorised work stoppages) with the NHL possibility due to follow the lead of the NFL and NBA when their CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) expires soon I think this attitude is distinctly American.
For the record i know USA is in dire economic trouble, even worse than the UK currently, but some of the attitudes I've been reading from the NFL lockout situation have been upsetting and - from a British point of view - rather upsetting. But remember I am a Brit and a nurse so it's my job to care.
Which is probably why I get upset when I read about people who aren't.
The biggest question in the NFL verses the Player's Union is how to split the revenue which currently stands at around $9 billion. $9,000,000,000. That's a lot of zeroes. The old CBA called for a 60/40 split in favour of the players after the owners had taken $ 1 billion off the top, so the divided amount was $8,000,000,000. Still a lot of zeroes.
But the owners weren't happy with that current split, and following the crash in Sept '08 opted out the Agreement the following year setting up a situation for the lockout we're currently in. The owners want more, they 'need more' they say. Current negotiations are around a 48/52 split in favour of the owners but without the $1 billion cream-top removed. Although now reports are coming that the owners are offering 45/55 split.
You may wonder why the players are agreeing to this. Well, I reckon for two reasons. $9,000,000,000 is a HELLUVA CHUNK OF CASH and getting even 1% of that would be a fabulous thing and the other reason is the benefits the players are proposing to give to retired players, specifically to those who retired pre-1993 which was when the free-agent free-for-all began.
These retired players are owed. And I personally think I cannot stress that point enough. Any team with an iota of history points to the players who cut their teeth from the past. For the record I say 1967 onwards but I acknowledge that there are great players prior to that time too.
The worst fact of this request for cash in the form of pensions is the fact that many players have been forced to undergo repeated operations following their playing days. Before we knew what concussions could do to the brain, or what repeated impact trauma could do to the joints these men were crashing into each other at high speed for our pleasure.
Now many of them have joint problems (early-onset arthritis) in their fifties, but worse than that many are having headaches, blurred vision, memory loss, suicidal tendencies and frighteningly early onset dementia and Altzimers. Case in point being Ted Johnson who despite playing '95-'06 is experiencing possible early onset dementia at the age of 38!!!
The point of all this is that the reaction and counter-argument to this approval of paying a percentage to veterans (who have claimed they would like the money to do things like live and pay medical bills, which we know are pretty high in the US) has been some of the most pro-republican, unsympathetic, suck-it-up dogma that I've ever read in my life. And it kinda makes me uneasy at such a country - one which has fascinated me since I was little - can treat its population, especially a minority group of players that give the vast majority such joy every sunday afternoon.
Examples such as [paraphrasing]:
"Players play football in college and high school and they're not asking for pensions".
"Player's ought to invest more wisely when they had the money, if they had they wouldn't be in the position they are now".
"No one forced them to play the game".
"Why should we (the public through revenue) be forced to pay for people who don't play anymore?"
These are just some of the many I've read.
And it makes me angry, and sad at the same time how unsympathetic people can be to others who need help. None of these players want to live like kings in huge mansions for the rest of their lives. They want to live in a house not under a bridge. They want to see their kids get to college (even if they'll never be able to pay for it). They want to walk up stairs not have to use a stairlift because their knees will be shot to pieces. They want to remember their own name.
Is that too much to ask for?
Apparently it is for some people.
And it is one of the black marks against the American free-market capitalist system. If you're sick, disabled or unable to fight for your own crust the chances of getting a handout are minimal. And that I find very sad.
For the record i know USA is in dire economic trouble, even worse than the UK currently, but some of the attitudes I've been reading from the NFL lockout situation have been upsetting and - from a British point of view - rather upsetting. But remember I am a Brit and a nurse so it's my job to care.
Which is probably why I get upset when I read about people who aren't.
The biggest question in the NFL verses the Player's Union is how to split the revenue which currently stands at around $9 billion. $9,000,000,000. That's a lot of zeroes. The old CBA called for a 60/40 split in favour of the players after the owners had taken $ 1 billion off the top, so the divided amount was $8,000,000,000. Still a lot of zeroes.
But the owners weren't happy with that current split, and following the crash in Sept '08 opted out the Agreement the following year setting up a situation for the lockout we're currently in. The owners want more, they 'need more' they say. Current negotiations are around a 48/52 split in favour of the owners but without the $1 billion cream-top removed. Although now reports are coming that the owners are offering 45/55 split.
You may wonder why the players are agreeing to this. Well, I reckon for two reasons. $9,000,000,000 is a HELLUVA CHUNK OF CASH and getting even 1% of that would be a fabulous thing and the other reason is the benefits the players are proposing to give to retired players, specifically to those who retired pre-1993 which was when the free-agent free-for-all began.
These retired players are owed. And I personally think I cannot stress that point enough. Any team with an iota of history points to the players who cut their teeth from the past. For the record I say 1967 onwards but I acknowledge that there are great players prior to that time too.
The worst fact of this request for cash in the form of pensions is the fact that many players have been forced to undergo repeated operations following their playing days. Before we knew what concussions could do to the brain, or what repeated impact trauma could do to the joints these men were crashing into each other at high speed for our pleasure.
Now many of them have joint problems (early-onset arthritis) in their fifties, but worse than that many are having headaches, blurred vision, memory loss, suicidal tendencies and frighteningly early onset dementia and Altzimers. Case in point being Ted Johnson who despite playing '95-'06 is experiencing possible early onset dementia at the age of 38!!!
The point of all this is that the reaction and counter-argument to this approval of paying a percentage to veterans (who have claimed they would like the money to do things like live and pay medical bills, which we know are pretty high in the US) has been some of the most pro-republican, unsympathetic, suck-it-up dogma that I've ever read in my life. And it kinda makes me uneasy at such a country - one which has fascinated me since I was little - can treat its population, especially a minority group of players that give the vast majority such joy every sunday afternoon.
Examples such as [paraphrasing]:
"Players play football in college and high school and they're not asking for pensions".
"Player's ought to invest more wisely when they had the money, if they had they wouldn't be in the position they are now".
"No one forced them to play the game".
"Why should we (the public through revenue) be forced to pay for people who don't play anymore?"
These are just some of the many I've read.
And it makes me angry, and sad at the same time how unsympathetic people can be to others who need help. None of these players want to live like kings in huge mansions for the rest of their lives. They want to live in a house not under a bridge. They want to see their kids get to college (even if they'll never be able to pay for it). They want to walk up stairs not have to use a stairlift because their knees will be shot to pieces. They want to remember their own name.
Is that too much to ask for?
Apparently it is for some people.
And it is one of the black marks against the American free-market capitalist system. If you're sick, disabled or unable to fight for your own crust the chances of getting a handout are minimal. And that I find very sad.