Your NFL Strike/Lockout Update: Cartels and other things (Rich vs. Rich--Day 3,888)

Roger Goodell/File

We didn't get a chance to opine on this over the weekend, so we will today. For those unaware, several things, mostly rhetoric related happened in the legal battle nobody understands.

The highlight, without any doubt was a late night Friday, legal brief, filed by the NFLPA (not a union) with the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals.

In that brief, they say "The NFL is a cartel that the Supreme Court has repeatedly and, just last year, unanimously held to be subject to the restraints against anti-competitive conduct contained in the Sherman Act."

We say, boy, that is a lot of "C" words in one sentence. The players are trying to make the point their careers would be irreparable harm if the lockout continues. We don't disagree with that, but we have a question: You were making an awful lot of money last season. What was the problem with that? What changed? (Ok, we know, that's 2-questions). Last years money certainly wasn't "Harming" anyone's career. Ask some of us if we'd be happy making $3.2 million a year playing football (not including licensing and endorsement money)...

The players really, really need to think about what they say at times before they say it. (See Sunday story on Ray Lewis)

The owners, for the most part have finally learned to keep their mouths shut, but they are also holding their "Spring Meetings" today in Indianapolis. Just a guess but the lockout will be a topic of discussion.

Ok. The Jolly Roger claims there needs to be a compromise agreement made. He's right. But they also need to remember that NFL Football is a partnership. A 3-way partnership. We still, aside from the owners wanting an extra $9 billion, don't totally understand why this "Lockout" is going on, but it is. And rather than go back and rehash things, we'll stay current.

Again, remember we have until June 3rd--at the minimum, before anything will happen. We think it will probably be sometime well after that before the dueling sides of greed actually agree to anything. And they will.

Unfortunately, it isn't turning off fans...at all. The New Orleans Saints reported last week that they've sold out for the season. A season not even guaranteed yet. Other teams are offering deals on season ticket packages and blind fans are just eating them up. So, we may end up refraining from talking about fan outrage, because there doesn't appear, unfortunately, to be much.

We will continue, providing periodic updates on this story when the situation warrants.

When you say Cartel, for some reason, we keep thinking of this: