Will Greed Kill The NFL Golden Goose?

[Atlanta Dan]

I know we read a lot about greedy players potentially destroying the NFL if the 2011 season is cancelled because a new CBA cannot be negotiated.

However, it is not just a mattter of the players. After reading this linked article on the Giants shaking down their fans to pay for PSLs for seats in the new Meadowlands and driving off families that have been season ticketholders since the 1930s, it makes me wonder if the NFL is close to a tipping point where fans who have attended games say screw it and watch at home, at which point the NFL will need to figure out how to keep games from being blacked out since there is not a sellout.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/14/sp...l?ref=football

[MasterOfPuppets]

i believe i read somewhere that ticket sales were down the last 2 years... there's no way in hell i'd pay that ticket ransom.

[lionslicer]

I can see the NFL going into a downward spiral the next couple years. Possibly to the point where teams will have to recruit players from semi-pro leagues off the street to play at lower salaries than NFL plays will be requesting.

[ricardisimo]

There is a lot of antipathy around the country to multi-millionaires making as much as they do and still requesting free public facilities on top of that. Something's got to give, for sure.

For starters, they can drop the Gestapo tactics at stadiums built with taxpayer dollars. Folks who paid for the damned facility with their tax dollars and their ticket should be able to bring a goddamned video camera into the place and film to their heart's content. That's just one small way to earn some public goodwill back, instead of squeezing everyone dry.

[MasterOfPuppets]

the thought of paying a fee , for nothing more than the "privilege" to buy a product , is just unfathomable to me.... would you surrender a ransom just for the right to shop in a store ? would you pay a restaurant an annual fee just to be able to get a seat to buy their food ?
i realize there's places like sams club that you have to pay a fee to shop there, but at least you have the opportunity to recoup that fee and then some with the savings on purchases.

[lionslicer]

Originally Posted by ricardisimo

There is a lot of antipathy around the country to multi-millionaires making as much as they do and still requesting free public facilities on top of that. Something's got to give, for sure.

For starters, they can drop the Gestapo tactics at stadiums built with taxpayer dollars. Folks who paid for the damned facility with their tax dollars and their ticket should be able to bring a goddamned video camera into the place and film to their heart's content. That's just one small way to earn some public goodwill back, instead of squeezing everyone dry.

Since tax payer dollars built it, they should have discounts, like those cooperative food markets. But you can't just walk up and say "yea I live in this city, give me a discount" Maybe have a special ID you can get, and since sporting events are year round, you can get the ID year round. They could probably set up shops or booths around the cities. This will also supply jobs to civilians. Which will stimulate the economy. Hey look I solved 2 problems with 1 idea.