Lock Out was good for the NFL

[ausbacker]

Of course it is speculation, but you cannot deny it has increased exposure and will increase interest as FA is packed into a short window, and preseason games will hold more interest because of that.
Exposure=increase in popularity and that isn't really questionable.

I agree it's increased the NFL's exposure where it normally wouldn't have. Exposure doesn't = increase in popularity it = increase of awareness & penetration.

The only way you'll know if the lockout has had any affect on the popularity of the NFL is through sales, TV ratings etc and so on. That'll be evident once the season gets underway.

I must confess my interest level hasn't changed with the lockout. It's still all consuming and for mine it's that team particulars won't be spread across a longer period of time. The new period of condensed action brings a level of excitement.

 

[patsfan-1982]

if we are talking about the NBA i would say yes it's good that they are in the news even in the offseason but this is the NFL a sport were there Draft gets more covrage then the world series, this will hurt the rookies comeing in i cant see alot of rookies being day one starters and FA's wont have the same impact untill mid season

 

[RussFrancis]

It was absolutely a good thing, big picture. I saw a piece the other day on the Dallas Cowboys, reflecting on the 1972 season I think it was. In it, Bob Lilly revealed he was getting paid $27, 000. That was the great Bob Lilly. And that was our grandfather's NFL. Tom Brady's getting over $15mil a year, and big picture, is roughly on the same tier a player as Bob Lilly. Not quite the same, but you get my drift. 27K. $18mil. 40 years. Think about it. Labor disputes like these are most certainly beneficial, so long as the damage suffered from the inevitable rhetoric spun is minimized. Which it was here. All things considered, again big picture, this LO will most definitely have been a good thing.

 

[Joker]

Now Russ...the REAL question is...how much is this strike going to COST us, the fans...what will be the hit to OUR wallets?

 

[RussFrancis]

Now Russ...the REAL question is...how much is this strike going to COST us, the fans...what will be the hit to OUR wallets?

Well, considering the intent, from the owner's perspective, as it was a lockout, was to minimize these growing costs, essentially, hopefully it at least curtails them. Costs had risen so much over the last 10 to 15 years, such a thing was just needed, imo.

Not to get too deeply into wasting thought, but using that Bob Lilly example, and lets just say in 1972 he earned a 'reasonable' salary from the Cowboys of roughly 100k/. That would still make Tom Brady's salary today roughly 150 times as high as Bob Lilly's. To parallel, if gas in '72 were a quarter a gallon, should it be over 30 bucks a gallon today?? Think about that. Goes without saying, athletes make a little too much money. Im not all about rich, greedy owners necessarily. Im for fans who can afford to see games.

 

[ausbacker]

Well, considering the intent, from the owner's perspective, as it was a lockout, was to minimize these growing costs, essentially, hopefully it at least curtails them. Costs had risen so much over the last 10 to 15 years, such a thing was just needed, imo.

Not to get too deeply into wasting thought, but using that Bob Lilly example, and lets just say in 1972 he earned a 'reasonable' salary from the Cowboys of roughly 100k/. That would still make Tom Brady's salary today roughly 150 times as high as Bob Lilly's. To parallel, if gas in '72 were a quarter a gallon, should it be over 30 bucks a gallon today?? Think about that. Goes without saying, athletes make a little too much money. Im not all about rich, greedy owners necessarily. Im for fans who can afford to see games.

Accounting for inflation how much is 1972's 27,000 worth in 2011? I do agree that professional sports people earn an exorbitant amount but that's a product of professional sports popularity and importance in society.

 

[Joker]

Im for fans who can afford to see games.

had season tickets from 1979 to the end of the 99 season.Section 206....same friends surrounding me and the family for a couple of decades. When the Pats offered me seats in 310, next to some seagull droppings, for twice the price of my cherished 206's,I got out. I make/made decent money in my lifetime, but today I can't really swing more than two or three games a year...unless someone ELSE wants to pay...heh...call me cheap..call it sign of the times

 

[RussFrancis]

Accounting for inflation how much is 1972's 27,000 worth in 2011? I do agree that professional sports people earn an exorbitant amount but that's a product of professional sports popularity and importance in society.

I cant pinpoint the popularity of pro football, but you sound grizzled enough to know how popular sports in general have always been, even back then. It wasnt necessarily pro football yet, probably more boxing, baseball, to an extent hockey, racing....whatever. Sports have always been incredibly popular. The owners just werent so much about sucking every last drop of blood from the stone, and in short, what's happened over the last 25-30 years to essentially create that effect?....ESPN. Boom. Pay me.

 

[RussFrancis]

Btw, that 'grizzled' comment I actually intended to send Joker's way. Anyone w/ Steve McQueen as an av almost has to be.

 

[Joker]

at MY age my grizzle is just about all fizzle....:biggrin2:

 

[RussFrancis]

at MY age my grizzle is just about all fizzle....:biggrin2:

Oh, so you throw out your back once in a while changing your socks, too?? I'll speak for myself on that one. That's officially fizzling.

 

[townes]

I actually agree that the "lock-out" was good for football because it aired all the grievances on both sides and appears to have been resolved with a good and fair deal for both sides, but that is only because it failed, had the owners succeeded with their original goal in locking out the players and games and checks had been lost until the union folded and the players were forced into a bad deal it would have been the worst possible thing for football. Glad it going to get done, looking forward to football, happy these discussions are pretty much over.

 

[RussFrancis]

I actually agree that the "lock-out" was good for football because it aired all the grievances on both sides and appears to have been resolved with a good and fair deal for both sides, but that is only because it failed, had the owners succeeded with their original goal in locking out the players and games and checks had been lost until the union folded and the players were forced into a bad deal it would have been the worst possible thing for football. Glad it going to get done, looking forward to football, happy these discussions are pretty much over.

I promise you that missing games was NOT part of their goal.... specifically missing the 9/11 games. There's absolutely no way missing those games was part of their thinking. Locking the players out of their comfort zone, showing that they were serious about the issues, cutting them off from health care, whatever else was. Missing games, losing money, creating REAL fan disgust was definitely not. But like you, Im just glad its all behind them, theyve ironed out their differences, and football is on its way.

 

[Triumph]

I am talking about from a popularity and attention standpoint.
By opening weekend the NFL will be more popular and will have gotten more attention than it there had been an offseason of labor peace.

The NFL was already the most popular show in town pre lockout.

There was less NFL news this off season because of no FA or mini camps.Watch this board come to life when FA gets the green light.

 

[Ring 6]

The NFL was already the most popular show in town pre lockout.

There was less NFL news this off season because of no FA or mini camps.Watch this board come to life when FA gets the green light.

Being popular doesnt mean your popularity cannot increase.

 

[Triumph]

For some players nursing 2010 injuries, the lockout was obviously good.

For some players who have trouble keeping their weight down and staying in condition, the lockout was bad.

 

[Triumph]

Being popular doesnt mean your popularity cannot increase.

Yes, but it was basically all news about players and owners fighting over money.

 

[Ring 6]

Yes, but it was basically all news about players and owners fighting over money.

Negative publicity is better than no publicity.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Yes, but it was basically all news about players and owners fighting over money.

OK, but remember that old Hollywood adage, there is no such thing as bad publicity. Ask any Kardashian... From the draft to the opening of TC there is never more talk or traffic than we've seen this season. In fact it was the lockout that kept the NFL atop the sportsworld's radar. The month from late June until TC opens was historically THE NFL dead zone. And now there will be more interest than ever in the weeks leading up to a season because all trade talks and FA signings and first glimpses of rookies will be occurring in a small 6-7 week window.

 

[Ring 6]

OK, but remember that old Hollywood adage, there is no such thing as bad publicity. Ask any Kardashian... From the draft to the opening of TC there is never more talk or traffic than we've seen this season. In fact it was the lockout that kept the NFL atop the sportsworld's radar. The month from late June until TC opens was historically THE NFL dead zone. And now there will be more interest than ever in the weeks leading up to a season because all trade talks and FA signings and first glimpses of rookies will be occurring in a small 6-7 week window.

Die hard fans being annoyed by the labor strife isnt relevant, because they arent going anywhere.
The gains to be made are new fans coming and casual fans becoming more interested. Being in the headlines, even negatively helps that, and the next 6-7 weeks will have people paying closer attention that ever.
If you get such a popular product in front of more people more often, you win many of them over.