The party is over, labour war takes centre stage

Tuesday, February 08 2011

Was that it for cheering for football, getting in touch with your inner cheesehead and cringing at fumbled national anthem lyrics? This article was written by Scott Lebar and appeared in The Sacramento Bee.

Was Green Bay grabbing the Lombardi Trophy on Sunday the last score for the league in 2011?

Could be. Even though Commissioner Roger Goodell said owners and the players' union talked over the weekend, and he voiced urgency in getting a deal done before the collective bargaining agreement expires in less than a month, the signs aren't promising.

The owners want to change the revenue-sharing plans established in the 2006 agreement and the players' union doesn't – it's a pretty good deal for players. The owners say the economy has dented their profits, the players want to see the books, the owners say no. (Champion Green Bay is public, and its profits have dropped by more than $20 million since 2006.)

Plus, there's that 18-game issue, opposed by players, already hammered by injuries in a 16-game season.

What's tough, though, is feeling for either, especially after watching the usual orgiastic celebration (with a game stuck in the middle) Sunday of the league's $8 billion business in an extravagant palace paid for with borrowed money. Suffering, they aren't.

How do you, the fan, feel? According to polls, you don't really want 18 games and don't side strongly with either side. You want billionaires and millionaires to have some sense to give you more performances to assess other than Christina Aguilera's.