NFL Labor Dispute 2011: Why Opening The Books Makes Dollars And Sense

Even the excitement and allure of Super Bowl XLV isn't enough to fully distract players and fans from the unrest over the unsettled Collective Bargaining Agreement. When the calendar year ends at midnight on March 4, the lockout begins.

The situation hasn't gotten any clearer recently, either. The owners and players haven't met for negotiations since November, and they aren't meeting until after the Super Bowl. This gives the two sides just under a month to complete a deal.

One hurdle that the argument is stuck on involves the total revenue that each team is making. The owners say they're not making a profit, so they need a larger piece of the pie. In response, the players want to see the books on their financial records for the teams that show a loss. The owners have been unwilling to do so, and there you have a standoff that's lasted almost three years now.

This article from Time magazine's Sean Gregory doesn't give a lot of new knowledge, but gives a fresh perspective on understanding why the players want to see the books.

Gregory says, "[I]f it's all about costs, critics rightly wonder, why the league is not telling the union the full story with audited team costs, and therefore audited team bottom lines...It doesn't seem unreasonable to conclude that if team finances were truly hurting, the NFL would be chucking books at the players."

I guess Steelers owner Dan Rooney meant it when he said, "I work for Hillary. She manages things that are a lot tougher than this."

The article caught the eye of several NFL players, and in an effort to spread awareness, the NFLPA's official Twitter account said, "If it’s about costs, why does #NFL refuse to show audited team costs & bottom lines? @time article http://bit.ly/nflbooks RT #openthebooks"

Several players and former players re-tweeted this statement—from Super Bowl winning linebacker Antonio Pierce, to upstart Dallas Cowboys running back Felix Jones, all the way to agent Drew Rosenhaus.

Gregory has a good point, though, when he says, "When it comes to fights over money, neither pro-football players nor owners are easy to root for. The owners are rich enough to begin with, and the players, though they take part in a violent game that risks their long-term health, are compensated handsomely."

Spreading awareness of this article is important, but the players can take it a step further. Unlike most team owners, the players have the power of social media like Twitter at their disposal. They need to use it to it's fullest potential.

Instead of just tweeting out generic mantras, the players should be educating the fans more on the specific CBA issues. It's almost necessary if the players want the fans on their side, instead of just thinking that it's a bunch of millionaires playing a game of penny pinch with a bunch of other millionaires. 

The owners may not be willing to show the players their bottom line, but the bottom line of the labor negotiations remains the same: If a lockout is to be avoided, the NFL owners need to make like Jerry MacGuire and show the players the money.