If you haven't been following the tense situation playing out between league officials and the players union, perhaps now is the time to pull your head out of your rear. The deadline for the agreement has been extended several times and after a long period of silence from both sides, union representatives and the MLS have gone public to air their dirty laundry.
Steve Goff, Washington Post sportswriter and soccer blogger extraordinaire, came out swinging this morning with a letter aimed directly at the league. Read the SoccerInsider's letter here.
The main issues are the retention of player rights by a team even after a players contract has expired, and the adjustment of the spending ceiling (if I understand it right, the new CBA would not include a per-team salary cap but instead a league-wide spending cap). The players have legitimate concerns and the onus is now on the league to make some adjustments or there will be a work stoppage. Everyone can agree, however, that a player strike would damage the public image of a young and still growing league.
Let's keep it real for a moment. The league's cap on spending increases are derived from the 2009 cap plus some very modest growth. The really glaring concern here is that the calculations seem to be based on 2009 figures and are NOT adjusted for inflation or COLA (cost of living adjustments). As an economics major I have to tell you that this seems totally ridiculous and unfair. Since the entertainment industry is one of few that are somewhat insulated from economic downturns, the players have good reason to point out these issues and they are absolutely right to stand up for themselves.
For the whole story, read Steve Goff, who does a good job of breaking it down.
What do you think?
Is a one year COLA really going to have that big of an impact on calculations? I think the players are in a bad spot here. The League wont lock them out, so they will have to take the incredibly foolish step of striking in World Cup year to push their position. They will lose the "hearts and minds" of the fans if they do that.
It's an interesting situation, no doubt. If COLA isn't a big deal then why should the league care? I heard on NPR today economists who were concerned about the risk of deflation. All in all this seems like disagreement over small potatoes. I think its a bit of grandstanding on either side and I think we will likely see an agreement before too long.
Well, in fairness, I was only commenting on your assertion above. I don't know if the league is making a big deal about it or not. The League doesn't want to provide any precedent for a judge to overturn the decision that validated the single-entity structure in 2003. They appear willing to work with the players to allow some freedom of movement, short of free agency, but the Union doesn't want to accept that at this point in the negotiations.
We'll see what happens, but if there is a stoppage, it will be devastating to the future of the league.
By the way, I recommend this article from Nutmeg Radio.
It explains what I mention above regarding the threat to single-entity in a far more detailed and elegant manner.