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).
It is a very practical question, and I hope the players react with maturity should they actually see the numbers and especially if they can link them to a specific owner. In fact, if I was advising the negotiating players, I would advise them to ask for codes for franchises, so the numbers cannot be tied to an individual. I am sure one or two will say something regrettable, but most will stay silent on specifics. Mostly I think they will do this because they will spend large sums of money in a similar manner and no one looks good when the the wealthy bemoan the habits of other wealthy people.

But I suspect that the real debate, once it is settled on how much profits have declined, is how to restrain player costs without dropping their total percentage to below 2006 levels. Because the owners have talked about that as a bench mark but the players seem convinced the owners last ten year proposal drops them well below that level.