In the name of transparency I’ll tell you I’m kind of borrowing this idea from a piece Art Weinstein at Scene Daily wrote addressing how NASCAR can’t match the success of the NFL. Namely I pulled this idea from his comment about the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement (CBA) being up in 2011.
Well the NFL isn’t alone in their impending CBA renegotiation effort. In what is shaping up to be the largest story in sports business in years, the CBA’s of all four major sports leagues, the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB will end in 2011.
According to Sports Business Journal (they did a large feature on the upcoming CBA fight a couple of weeks ago), the NFL’s deal is up first in March of 2011, with the NBA in June, NHL in September and MLB in December.
Negotiations on the new CBA’s for both the NFL and NBA have already begun, with both sides looking for changes to the present salary caps. The team owners say progress is being made, but the heads of the player unions fear that lockouts are a very real possibility, especially in the NFL. The concern is so great on that end that the NFLPA has been stockpiling cash for a couple of years in the event of just a situation. Just a couple of weeks ago NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith told reporters he is convinced the owners will lockout the players.
The concerns in the NHL and MLB are equally great. The NHL, which has already had one lockout this decade during the 04-05 season (it lasted 310 days), is dealing with discontent on both sides over the last CBA that ended the lockout four years ago. Major League Baseball is dealing with allegations by the union of collusion.
So what does this mean for the fans? If negotiations break down before or after the CBA’s expire lockouts could happen (they can’t happen until after the CBA’s expire) and each sport’s respective season could be put on hold. Look to MLB in 1990, the NBA during the 98-99 season and the NHL in 94-95 and 04-05 for examples of the effects of lockouts.
If you’re NASCAR, the second most popular sport in the country, not having to compete with other sports gargantuans for potentially 1+ year could do wonders for your ratings and your fan base. Most especially NASCAR would relish not having to compete against the NFL, something they have never not had to do before.
NASCAR of course is in a unique position from their fellow sanctioning bodies in that they don’t have to deal with collective bargaining agreements because there are no unions within the sport. That means no lockouts, and no lost seasons.
Ultimately NASCAR stands to gain from the bad feelings of fans toward the other major leagues.
So if all goes as many believe it will go we could have a bad period for sports in general beginning in 2011, but a potentially good period for NASCAR. This is definitely an interesting storyline to keep your eye on.
Loading ...
on Sep 1st, 2009 at 12:48 am
Judging by past behavior, I’m afraid that NASCAR, not unlike the San Diego Chargers’ receivers, will drop the ball at the most critical time…
on Sep 1st, 2009 at 1:40 am
Close the “Kool Aid” stand, Pal….
on Sep 1st, 2009 at 6:20 am
Yesterday I write a piece criticizing NASCAR for racing in the rain, and today Journo writes about what could be some good fortune for NASCAR in 2011 and all of a sudden we have a “kool aid stand.” I will never understand why we can’t write something positive about NASCAR without being called “slurpers,” “kool aid drinkers,” or the like. Oh well…
on Sep 1st, 2009 at 8:08 am
A bit of a simplistic and maybe even naïve approach here, but regardless of sport (stick-n-ball or horse & saddle) can’t a performance based “formula” for player (driver/rider), owner and even league office be the measuring stick and ultimately sets the $ earned? Vs guaranteed salaries? It’s also naturally self-adjusting in uncertain economic times based on the amount of income available and generated.
That way……the cream of the crop naturally rises to the top!
As difficult as it is sometimes to make sense of the “Iron Fist” tactics of NASCAR and the France family….rest assured…you don’t want the alternative. Having lived thru the open wheel split and jury style mgmt……one chief is enough.
on Sep 1st, 2009 at 10:03 am
Did the NFL strike in 1987 help NASCAR?
on Sep 1st, 2009 at 10:05 am
TC & Journo… there are some people whose only pleasure in life is slamming anything positive about NASCAR yet they claim to be fans. I have seen it over and over as an admin on a NASCAR message board some people only post when they can slam stuff or others only post comments like the KoolAid one above. NASCAR is my favorite sport but that doesnt mean its perfect but a sport ran by,populated with and enjoyed by….HUMANS who are not perfect despite the fact the negative nellies expect. Just like in life in NASCAR there are some that are never happy.I just choose to be upbeat and positive, Ok thats off my chest. I agree with Journo with the atmosphere in the “other” sports being what it is NASCAR is a great alternative to those fans especially those who are sick of hearing on the news another “NFL,MLB,NBA” player has been arrested on some charge involving guns, drugs and assaults. Yes there are a few bad eggs in NASCAR but they normally get weeded out pretty early.
on Sep 1st, 2009 at 11:46 am
Phyllis- Kool Aid? Really? I’ve written some pretty fluffy positive NASCAR pieces on here but this definitely wasn’t one of them. This, if you read it, which I’m guessing you probably didn’t, was pointing out an opportunity for NASCAR to take advantage of the weakened position of other sports. Nothing more, nothing less. Try again.
Shload- A couple of things on that one. The strike only lasted 24 days and only cut one game from the season. Not to mention the strike occurred right in the middle of NASCAR’s off-season. Remember too NASCAR in 1987 was not the NASCAR we have today. They didn’t have near the popularity they enjoy today.
on Sep 1st, 2009 at 11:59 am
be sure to comment to the positive readers too.
Negative comment naysayers are usually only looking for a reaction, and she got both of you. I believe in ying/yang, if one posts a negative comment, they should offset it with a positive comment, sometime.
on Sep 1st, 2009 at 2:23 pm
This reminds me of the story about the Presidents Day Snowstorm of 1979, when CBS aired the Daytona 500 entirety live on national television. People stuck at home in some parts of the country had never seen this format of racing. Boom, it was the hot topic, the Yarborough Vs. Allison & Allison indecent at the end helped too.
I think Nascar not competing with the NFL on Sundays would be huge for the sport. I never really understood why both have always went head to head.
on Sep 1st, 2009 at 4:00 pm
Seriously, Tom. Even here in the mothership of NASCAR, it can be hard to find a TV in a sports bar with the race on when it’s football season.
on Sep 1st, 2009 at 6:14 pm
Bashing NASCAR on the sports page of course is what has helped make newspapers so successful.