I am sure you are all familiar with current labor negotiations going on in the NFL. To make a long story short, it's about money. The main issue is how to divide the $9 billion generated in revenue by the NFL annually. The players believe they deserve over 50% of the revenues because they are the ones playing in the games and risking their health. However, the owners feel the players are getting too much money and that if their salaries continue to increase then some NFL franchises will no longer be profitable.
The other big issue is the expansion of the NFL season to 18 games. The people at the top of the NFL and many owners believe expanding the season will provide enough additional revenue to prevent cutting player's salaries. However, the players think two additional games would not only cause a decrease in the quality of games, but be a serious detriment to their healths and also shorten careers. To sum it up, the NFL wants salary cuts and a longer season while the players do not want either of these things resulting in an NFL lockout.
Adrian Peterson was quoted saying, "It's modern-day slavery, you know? People kind of laugh at that, but there are people working at regular jobs who get treated the same way, too. With all the money, the owners are trying to get a different percentage, and bring in more money."
While I can see where Peterson is coming from, I find it to be a somewhat ridiculous comparison. Maybe the NFL players aren't being treated fairly, but comparing it to slavery is a bit too much. After getting drafted by the Vikings, Peterson signed a 6 year, $40.5 million contract with $17 million guaranteed. He is due to make $10 million next year in base salary. This doesn't include the millions he makes each year through endorsements. I don't know about you, but I am fairly certain slaves did not make this type of money.
I am curious to see what others think about Adrian Peterson's statement. Please comment and let me know how you feel.
Matt Levenson
I have to agree that slavery may be a bit extreme, but there are some points that I believe are worth highlighting.
ReplyDeleteLet's define slavery: a system under which people are treated as property and are forced to work.
Being 'treated as property' can easily be seen as what people can do, not the people themselves. Just how many celebrities personalities are deeply cared about? If you think about it, some sports celebrities really are not respectable, but a lot of people do not care; they just care about their skills.
The 'force' comes from the power of the contract. But unlike slaves, NFL players do get paid. I am not exactly sure how it works at this point, but if the contract is broken, there is no pay right? A contract is a contract, but hey, that still takes away from freedom.
Just something to think about.
-Andrew Perrin