Quote Originally Posted by Patler View Post
PB;

I agree with all your comments about company value, appreciation, etc. But in many ways that is irrelevant to a situation that will soon arise. At some point in the near future the players will be getting their noses into the teams finances, and will see what the owners have taken out for their own use on a yearly basis. How much the owners have paid themselves. The players should recognize that it is fair for the owners to take some money from ongoing operations. If the owners average $2 million/year, I doubt players will find fault in that. If they find the owners "take" is $100 M/year, I suspect they will scream long and loud that more of that should be given to the players.

It's a very practical issue that will surface soon. It doesn't have to be made more complicated than it is (or will be).
See, that's where I disagree with you, and think that there is no 'magic' number that is acceptable for profit.

I don't think the trouble with opening the books will come from learning one of the owners makes $100million/year. I think it will come from questionable accounting practices, like the ones pbmax and myself brought up earlier...i.e. an owner taking a $100million dollar salary, and putting it in the expense column, instead of the profit column.

I think at much as issue as the division of the revenue/profits is how that number is arrived at.

You could be correct in your other post, of course, that this is all a red hearing, and the players actually want something totally different, like getting rid of the tags, or wholesale changes to FA. I, personally don't think so. I think the root issue is the one stated up front, that the owners are saying the profit margin is too low, and the players don't believe them. After that, it's all egos and grandstanding.