Gumby

With all the stories about the negotiations and this scheme benefits players this one benefits small market; this large market yada yada yada......

WHO IS THE ONE GROUP COMPLETELY UNREPRESENTED HERE?

us; that's who. The FANS!!!!!!!

Football is an amazing product. I love it and hope it continues to do well; but I hate in large part what it and every other sport has become.

Current ticket prices for a Pats game are what $75 a head at the low end? If you are a family man with 2 kids and were lucky enough to have 4 season tickets that runs you $750 a head for 10 games. $3,000 a year without parking, hot dogs or drinks in the price.

The average family brings in something a little over $60K last I heard. So that means a family would have to spend 5% of BEFORE TAX INCOME to be able to afford that. And that is as it is RIGHT NOW!!!! JUST IMAGINE where we will be with these even bigger salary caps these guys are talking about.

Upshaw wants to take 60% of revenue for salary. Well; no business man is going to change his profit structure - he just increases his prices to compensate for the increased overhead.

Now; I am a staunch capitalist and firmly believe businesses should be able to charge what the market will bear. But that only works in a free enterprise capitalist system with low entry barriers.

The NFL is a government sanctioned monopoly of sorts with little to no ability for competition to enter into the marketplace.

I think in large part the players are paid pretty well. Nobody makes less than 6 figures and most are in 7 at least for part of their careers.

I think somebody ought to be sitting at the table with these yahoos representing us and telling Upshaw and the owners; look you are going to make a deal that supports the FANS TOO. One that wont drive ticket prices through the roof.
Or say if you want this deal you have to eliminate the local blackout rule. That way if you cant put a good enough product on the field to bring in the fans; at least the stay at home fans dont get screwed.

Miguel

Excellent post.

As the ultra-rich owners champion the idea of maximizing revenue, they seem to be forgetting that we fans are the ones footing the bill.

__________________
My youngest sister's best friend is on the board of directors of a food pantry in Malden, Massachusetts that distributed 285,000 meals and meal equivalents in 2005. I am asking that if you have found my salary cap pages useful that if you are able to do so, please make a donation to it. Please contact me for more information.

Murphys95

I completely agree with you, we fans seem to be sitting on the sidelines squirming over this CBA nonsense. The NFL as of late has appeared to take its fan base for granted, with ideas like flex-scheduling, Thursday games, and the notion that London would be a great venue for a regular season game. They are clearly mistaking high ratings for a loyal fan base. What's next, a pay-per view league?

...watering it down for the benefit of the casual viewer, at the expense of its base.

mgteich

An interesting concept.

So, if the Reebock shoe company is considering a new contract with its workers, the customers should be part of the negotiations. NOT

Fans are CUSTOMERS. We chose whether to go to stadiums, buy goods, and watch the games on TV. Kraft and other competenet owners probably do regularly marketing studies to better understand customer needs, just like any other business.

BTW, I believe television and its advertiser may the vast majority of the costs of NFL football.

mikey

Monopoly without regulation will maximize profit by setting marginal revenue equal to marginal cost, increasing ticket price and decreasing product.

On the other hand, regulated monopoly will maximize social interest by setting marginal benefit equal to marginal cost.


.

PatsWickedPissah

As fans we can simply boycot and not buy the higher priced product.
This will never happen as the fan base is irrational - look at those supporting a loser org like the Red Sox, attending game after game.
Sad to say, and I like Kraft, he has priced his product WAY out of reach of middle class families with kids. There are too many wealthy corporate types prepared to pay whatever the freight. Just look at the Cape Cod coastline and the hundred thousand 2nd homes all over a megabuck.

On the plus side he's made summer training camp free and accessable for families, a good marketing move to hook the next generation's rich yuppie kids on the NFL season ticket drug.

sarge

We have the option not to support the product. So in a sense we do have a say!

Most of us just refuse to take that course. So who do we really have to blame?

Gumby

There is a significant difference between buying coke versus pepsi and watching football versus going to the ballet.

coke and pepsi are effective marketplace substitutes.

watching ballet may be a leisure activity; but I doubt you could in any way shape or form call it a substitute; let alone effective.

Coast2CoastPatsFan

The posts by PWP and sarge hit the nail right on the head. As difficult as it would be for most of us fans to do, the only way to get the attention of the owners and the players would be for us to BOYCOTT THE GAMES. Sadly, I am becoming more and more disenchanted with professional sports and the ridiculously greedy attitudes of the owners and players. These people are making money hand-over-fist, though I believe that NFL players are the most deserving high-paid athletes due to the inherently violent nature of the game. Every fan has a different breaking point, but in order for us to send a message to the owners/players we must stop supporting the game, and then maybe they will come to their senses and stop taking us fans for granted. It will be a very sad day for me if all this nonsense causes me to lose interest in the game. The big business nature of sports is taking all the fun out of following the game.

__________________
"Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing"--Vince Lombardi
"It is what it is"--Bill Belichick

PatsWickedPissah

I've said it before and despite being a forever fan I would follow through. IF the NFL goes the way of MLB with gypsy team of the year, I'm out. There's plenty in life besides football...at least my wife keeps saying that to me as I type away.