Could NFL Players Be Motivated by More Than Greed in Labor Dispute?

The NFL is the most popular sport in America which is why football fans are on pins and needles during labor negotiations. For the average person, it seems like the owners and the players are purely greedy.  Both sides already make a lot of money and seem to want more at the others’ expense.  But is it pure greed that is motivating the players?  Are there deeper aims to the negotiations?

George Cohen of the U.S. government and the director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service has been brought in to help both sides.  Hopefully, there will be an agreement after the meetings.  If not, a lock out is almost a formality. 

The main issue is how to divide the nine billion dollars in annual revenue.  Players are seeking 60% of the revenues while owners are arguing that it is too much; they need more money to pay for things like new stadiums, renovations, legal fees, etc. 

But there could be a deeper reason why the players are fighting hard for 60% of the revenue.  It has been said that those who played in the NFL are a fraternity.  Undoubtedly, there exists deep collegiality between current and former players.  That would mean an awareness of the players’ problems and struggles that occur during and after pro careers.  With the average NFL profession lasting only three and a half years, players might wonder if the price they pay is worth it.

A  March 23, 2009 Sports Illustrated story by Pablo S. Torre stated that “By the time they have been retired for two years, 78% of former NFL players have gone bankrupt or are under financial stress because of joblessness or divorce.”

Furthermore, Greg Bishop in an August 8, 2009 story for the New York Times wrote, “Polls, studies and anecdotal evidence suggest that the divorce rate for N.F.L. players is between 60 and 80 percent, which is higher than that of the general population, where nearly half of marriages end in divorce.” 

Not to mention the number of former NFL players who have lifelong health issues due to the intense pounding their bodies took over their NFL careers; is there more than greed that is motivating the current players union? 

Maybe today’s players are fighting for all those who have sacrificed their lives and families only to be thrown out into the cold by NFL owners after their playing days are over.  One of the issues the current players want is more benefits for retired players.

One begins to wonder if the two sides would not be so far apart had the owners been more proactive in the personal lives of the players. Owners could have taken a number of roles in players lives, like watching over their health, educating players in money and financial management, investing in professional’s who deal with family therapy and marriage and helping them deal with life after football, etc. instead of throwing players to the curb after their playing days are done. 

Maybe the players are reacting to owners who care only for the money and not the person, and are trying to protect both past, present and future players from a difficult life that the NFL produces, a life of health, familial and financial woes. Maybe if the NFL recognized this problem with their players and were more hands-on to help, then the current players union would not be fighting so hard to protect themselves.

This is just one theory on why the sides are so far apart.  Maybe I am completely wrong and the bottom line is just plain greed, but with classy men like Peyton Manning and Drew Brees making a concerted effort to resolve the labor dispute, it could be deeper.