blacksaint

I may be mistaken here, but I thought I heard somewhere that players from the pre-modern era decided not to defer contract money toward the future, and take all their money upfront, basically signing away a lot of their benefits that they would have received today, or something to that effect. Like I said I might be mistaken, but if that is the case, why make a big deal about it now, I know nobody in those days could have ever imagine that the NFL would grow into the financial beast that it is. Now, I not saying they don't deserve something, but to make it sound like the NFL leaves them in the cold is not fair, they do get help for hospital bills, mortgages, and different things like that, again I'm not saying that the NFL shouldn't restructure their benefits package, but to to take all your money upfront do whatever it was you did, and now see the money that modern players make, and say we should be getting a bigger piece of the pie, I just see a little something wrong with that. True those players built a foundation for the league, but they had nothing to do with the success the league has built since the early 90's to this day. The NFL's popularity wasn't built on the success of the players from the 40, 50, and 60's, but from the players from the 80, 90, and the 2000's, now the players from the pre-modern era wants to look at the modern era players as selfish, but make no bones about it, nobody gave the modern player nothing, they had to earn it. The NFL is not worth $7 BILLION dollars because of Pre-era players, the leagues popularity in all earnest was solidified in the 70's, with the Steeler dynasty, America's team the Cowboys, the high flying antics of the San Diego Suuuper Charrrgers, and the nasty boys of Oakland, along with others. Then the 80's came along to add a little flavor to the plate and increase the individual identity of the league with the emergence of players such as Walter Payton, Tony Dorsett, Earl Campbell, Joe Montana, Dan Marino, John Elway, Jerry Rice, and a host of other players who made the game a more marketable product. Then the 90's players and the new millennium players with their larger than life personalities basically blew the doors off of the henge's as for as marketing is concerned, these guys came along and made the NFL the most popular sport in this country by a landslide. Now yes the players from the past deserves a better disability plan, but to say they're the reason the game is the way it is today is ludacris and insane at best, they're just the guys who played the game at their time and the guys who came after them are just the ones who played at their times. When the pre-era guys received their pay checks at that time were able to live the good life in those economic times. Is the NFL responsible for the evolution of the economy? No, they're not. Are they responsible for the players in that era spending their money whichever way they did and not investing in their own future? No they're not. I think it's irresponsible to make the NFL and the Players Union of today the bad guy in all this, it's the contracts that they all agreed upon at that time. And as far as the Congress is concerned I personally know of a bunch of veterans who fought in the military in the past who need their situation looked into, but Congress is to busy looking into steroids in the MLB, dog fighting, and now the NFL. Yo Congress, these vets can't even survive day to day without the help of civilians living in their own communities, these vets are homeless, starving, and barely getting by on their disability plan, why I don't see Congress gathering under special circumstances to deal with those issues. PRIORITIES, PRIORITIES, PRIORITIES.

saint4life
(504)

hagan714

Nice job blacksaint.
The only thing I want to point out is this is not an issue the congress is addressing with federal dollars. It is the fact that a corperation, ie. NFLPA, has not held up its end of the bargin. They like so many major corperations have little or no obligation to thier employees. The injuried must fight for the coverage. The goverment does not step in an say yeah or nah at this point. Unless you ask for supplemental SS. The big picture could effect all the companies in america. trust me the lobbying behind the closed doors are hot and heavy.

As for the Vets in this country we should all be ashamed. We elect these people and do not force them to take care of them. They are disposable profit making committe. That is what they are. The people who make money at war are directly linked to the goverment. Do we stand up and say enough is enough. No we sit and complain but do nothing. This is one of the reason the world looks at the citizens of america with little or no respect. When our soldiers go to war the bills keep coming in. So many loose it all while fighting for this country. Around the world many country freeze the billing to families of a soldier fighting for that country. Here it is viewed as an oppertunity to explote the situation for the corperate good by way too many. This is America home of the INC..

This is not what our for fathers had in mind. I love our country but am so worried that we are forgetting what made this country so great. Individual rights that allowed us to protect one another. Today we allow those rights to be widdled way a little at a time till one day we are going to wake up and find them all gone. Then what.

I already find myself appoligizing to my oldest son for how our generation has fallen asleep behind the wheel. Till we as a people are ready to stand up and be heard as a group, united, the political machine in america will continue to do what they want. Maybe it is time to take to the streets and let the country know how we feel. Sorry only a handful have time in thier busy scheduals to do it.

Sorry gang but this is america. As long as it does not bother us in our homes we wont do much about it. Even then it I wonder.

"We may have lost the game, but you'll be hurting tomorrow." Doug Atkins

WhoDat205

I understand your point, and attacked the trucker example hard because I have worked insuring the trucking industry since college. You're right that congress sees this as a chance to grandstand since the NFL and its players have such a high national profile...

Still, the cuncussions and the long-term brain damage that they cause is a issue that is just coming to light. The NFL and the NFLPA should have addressed this head-on from the start and never given congress an chance to get involved.

My points were: either way, this is an issue that needs to be addressed by someone. Also, NFL players and the NFL do not share the same employee/employer relationship that most of us do with our employers. There's just no way to compare a coal miner or an accountant or a soldier to NFL players.

"defence's personal to allwats double team or watch is over, that one reason why the saints or not any good." - Vador101