I wanted to give the NFL skirmish 48 hours and a full weekend to let my emotions settle before I officially opined and got long-winded and loud-mouthed. So for those of you who love my rants and tirades, this blog is for you.
For those of you who don’t like facts, figures, education and well-founded opinions about business in America circa 2011 and having a corporate and civic soul, this is a not going to be a happy read for you today to start your week.
To whom much is given, much is expected. (That’s always been my battle cry and unrequited expectation from Orioles owner Peter Angelos, who has taken hundreds millions of dollars from our citizens only to leave our city empty and penniless on summer nights with 14 years of mostly last-place baseball.)
And even though I know I should’ve known better knowing what I know about money, greedy people, big business and political influence (if not sheer corruption) I expected this NFL money grab to end somewhat amicably with both sides getting more than their fair share of wealth and happiness.
But, the demon seeds of greed have given way to what has now become standard operating procedure for all cowards and “on-the-take” business people and citizens in America – “I’m suing you!” is the battle cry.
The NFL and NFLPA are at war. It all was made official at 5:07 on Friday afternoon and reconfirmed at midnight that night as both sides came out of a highly volatile, highly confrontational summit in the capital of the free world with a series of “he said/she said” comments that are sure to make any PSL-holder pine for a similar playground-style argument from the fifth grade.
But instead of lunch money, there’s $9.3 billion per year to grapple over and these sides both clearly want their piece of the pie and the fans will be like the children in the ugliest of divorces we’ve all seen in our families and neighborhoods – always acknowledged and given lip service but never really considered.
And, of course, it’s all over money – like everything else in our culture these days. So, while every one of those esteemed gentlemen on both sides of the NFL’s platinum-plated picket fence awakened on Friday to watch one of the great nations of the world float into the Pacific and buildings crumble to the sea and nuclear reactors melting down, they all went back into a room later that day and declared a tsunami of their own.
It wasn’t “life or death – nope, just money!
So much for emotions and trying to do the right thing, boys! Way to show everyone what the NFL is REALLY all about.
Shame on all of them and a pox on their collective houses for picking now – the worst economic climate in this country since the league gripped our culture and the weekend of the largest disaster of our lifetimes — to have this public “Fight Club” engagement when most of us are making less than we’ve ever made and working harder than we’ve ever had to work to pay our bills and keep mouths fed in this once-great nation.
This isn’t sitting well now and it’s bound and determined to get uglier, meaner and more public with each passing day of mudslinging.
Sure, I’m a little “sensitive” about this because the NFL is one of the few reasons WNST
