Players too greedy, but no anger towards owners?

I have some Steeler fan friends (not anyone posting in here) who get all angry at players who want more $, at the time of a new contract; I am not talking about players under contract who hold out. (Bell is not technically under contract until he signs his franchise contract.)

I hear things like (this from a female) "My father worked all his life in a steel mill, screw these greedy players who whine when they make $10 million a year."

Well, those kind of comments seem dripping with ignorance. The owners are far more "greedy" seeing the value of their teams explode every year. Why aren't you angry at them? The Steelers alone are worth $2.25 billion. Cowboys are worth over 4. Could these franchises be this valuable without good players in the league? But these sort want to be mad at Bell for wanting $15 million a year, which is virtual peanuts compared to what the owners bring in.

Hey, I am not for ANYONE beating fans up with $6 bottles of water and $16 beers. That is abusive. But as far as the players wanting to make their fair share, sorry. Your daddy couldn't run the ball like Bell and in this system, you are paid what the market will pay you, and a steel worker's talents are just not as valuable as the best running back in the world. This is not a communist state.

 

I don't begrudge anyone wanting to make more money, the players or the owners. However I do think the whole sports arena in general is vastly overvalued by society. But hey, if that's what the market will bear, more power to them I guess. If I could run a 4.4 forty and catch lasers I'd probably be taking advantage of it too.

 

A) You hate corporate America
B) You're a union loyalist
C) You're fully entrenched in the left
D) All of the above

My answer is D.

 

NFL players die in their 50s. Their brains get turned into mush. If they avoid that, their crippled, and require repeated surgeries on knees, hips, shoulders and live with other arthritis in their other joints. Most of these guys are lucky to draw more than the league minimum for more than a year or two.

So, I don't begrudge an NFL player a dime. The market says the public is willing to spent on profootball, I'm happy for the players to get what the market will bear. The players may be greedy, but no more so than the team owners.

 

Greed is good

 

The people shuffling boxes around at Amazon are not making the same as the CEO, however they are going to try and get as much money as possible for their skill level. Unlike the NFL though they don't have agents representing their net worth.

 

X's 2 here dude.

 

I think both parties can be greedy and players like Bell offered highest at his position by MILLIONS is ****ed up. I also think the owners are ****ing crazy greedy and just for the examples you posted at consessions during game days. But what about tickets and Jerseys?!?!?!

I think a high profile player should call the attention to that.

 

Sorry but that is a false equivalence in the context the salary. You can't compare some dude making minimum wage and wanting a couple extra bucks an hour so he can buy NFL redzone or something (the game is out of his budget) vs. L.Bell turning his nose up to an offer of highest pay at his position by MILLIONS. Not the same...

 

We forget too that most players are under contracts that are "worth" a certain number but to actually GET that certain number there are certain conditions that have to be met. But the media likes to report the more "sexy" number and I think that gives the false impression that every player always gets every dollar that their contract is supposedly worth. The truth is that probably very few actually get every dollar they sign for right because they don't always measure up to the "incentives" or whatever?

 

Trumpkin

 

There's also a thing called the market. I think Freeman is getting like 8 something this year. McCoy - 8.8. Doug Martin - 7. Bells franchise tag alone will give him 12 million and highest paid. 15 mill per. He wants to almost double the market. It just doesn't work like that. He'd be making more than every receiver besides two and more than Antonio Brown. Steelers couldn't make that work in the salary cap era.

 

there is excessive greed all around the nfl no doubt. not to mention anything affiliated with it. parking, food, programs, etc..... i remember the rooneys saying they would never charge a seating license, well that didn't last long. the adjustments you now have to pay for what team they are playing that week is proof of greed. people are still calling us every year though to see if we want to sell tickets. they will try to get every penny they can out of people until people stop paying it. let them strike as is being reported and it will piss people off when it happens, but it won't last. people will be right back paying more. we as fans control it.

 

So you have a conversation with someone outside this board and you disagree with them so much you come here to share your side of that conversation foorrrrr ... Validation ???

I'm assuming you feel the owners are Way Too Greedy and you need everyone to know that....... Update : Duh!!!

Rich people are rich for many reasons and the most common is the Strong Desire ( Greed ) to get more than they already have.

The Steelers may be worth 2.2 Bn but that isn't money in the pocket. That's unrealized value. Their operating income is 68 mil, gate receipts 63 mil which is very low in the industry and if not for the 376 mil Rev from the league they wouldn't make it. Their Player expenses are 195 mil but don't forget the cost of training camp, stadium upkeep( expenses) , travel for the team( and lodging & food ) for away games, coaches salary , executives salary and team doctors & Trainers,.... And more that I'm missing..... Also, the Chief owned it all, he died and left it to his 5 sons.... Dan being principle owner and controller but due to league rules the other 4 sold off their shares to "other partners". I don't know how many people currently own part of the Steelers but it's several and Art ll doesn't get to reap all the rewards.

Issue with Bell is simple. There is a set amount of $ for the players, Bell wants a % that's unfair to the team (players) and unrealistic and add he's already fully guaranteed 4 mil more than the next highest paid player at his position and he wants 25% more than that, turned down the Highest RB contract ever offered for even more.... That's Pure Greed!!!

Cajun

 

If they were losing their shirts, they wouldn't play these players what they get paid.
I think the next NFL players contract might get ugly. Maybe even a strike.

It's unbelievable what some of the NBA players and players in other sports are getting paid now.
The NFL makes far more revenue than the other pro sports.
Plus work of time expectancy of NFL player is extremely low. The pay isn't matching up.
Other than the fact an NBA, baseball, or hockey players, play a lot more games.
But, most players play a lot longer than 3.5 to 4 years.

 

senquez golson has held out for going on 3 years now.

 

Sure, my point was very exaggerated but it still resonates the same that employees will always be considered grossly underpaid compared to their CEO's and rightfully so.

 

Team more important than any one player. Loved the Steelers before Bell and will long after he's gone. I would pull a BB and trade his butt in a heartbeat. I'm all for fair pay, but 25% above highest at his position? No way.

 

At least NFL cheerleaders got a raise, after the raiders raiderettes sued them for a wage increase since they were paying them 5 an hour which wasnt even minimum wage, after winning their lawsuit they now get 9 an hour, other teams like the bengals were sued for wages, how can these wealthy teams treat these ladies like they are slave labor when they represent their teams as well as players....

 

I'm an American capitalist. I'm fine with the way the system works.

Although, I'm not a big fan of unions.

 

I agree with the minimum wage part. That's the law. After that, using the phrase slave labor is insulting to true injustice that was slavery. Although I'm sure you weren't equating the two. It's supply and demand. If they need 20 workers, they offer minimum wage, and the get 40 qualified applicants, they should not be expected to pay more. That's welfare, communism, socialism, or one of those isms I can't remember.

Oh, and go Steelers.

 

I voted for Bernie... in the primary.

Trump should be stricken from the record as 45th. We need a do-over badly. Let Marco Rubio (R) go against Gavin Newsom (D)... and have a "real" election. People who actually give a crap about people.

 

A.) You're obsessed with labelling people.

I'm gonna go with "A."