I know we're excited about having football back again. But I want to direct your attention back to the matters of the lockout briefly. I don't want to get you sad again. There's no news that's gonna take football away from you again. Don't fret. But there's one issue we can't let go unreported.
Leading up to and during the lockout, all we heard was how the NFL teams were losing money and they had to protect their financial interests by taking back a piece of the NFL pie from the players. The "Woe Is Me" feelings were
rampant on ownership's side. This would be understandable if they
were losing money.
But...
Now we have news that they might not have been scrugglin' after all...
Forbes'
annual team valuation list, the
"World's 50 Most Valuable Sports Teams" found a spot for, ::Lebron Voice:: not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, but all 32 NFL teams. Every @$%#^%^ing team. Every whining, sniveling, spendthrift, Goodell goading, De Smith loathing NFL owner has one of the 50 most valuable sports products on the blue and green planet.
Forbes' report states that teams "selling for $70 million in the mid-1980s are now worth $1 billion on average. That's MORE than a tenfold increase. Jerry Jones' Cowboys, they of 152 foot HD TV screen fame, makes over $100 million annually on it's luxury seating ALONE. They have sponsorship deals with many of the nation's major companies. And don't forget the TV Deals. Ohhhh don't forget those. They were getting paid regardless of whether there was a season this year or not.
Of the other American Big Four sports, the MLB had six entries on the list. The New York Yankees at number three were the only MLB team in the top 30. There were 23 NFL teams above baseball's next highest team, the Boston Red Sox.
To put this in even MORE perspective, the Jacksonville Jaguars are more valuable than the New York Knicks. That's right. The NFL's
least valuable team is more valuable than the NBA's
most valuable team. Let that marinate. There's a reason the owners would never show the players their books. You can't doctor financials. Yes, you can interpret financials different ways according to what accounting standards you use, but the numbers are the numbers. And ridiculously huge profits are ridiculously huge profits, no matter how you look at them.
To add insult to injury, the other teams dominating the list, International Soccer teams (namely English Premier League squads) are mostly owned by, YOU GUESSED IT, the same NFL owners complaining bout not having any money. Maybe you should sell your soccer teams and stop trying to spread yourself so thin. That's a novel idea. But don't try to tell me you aren't eating like a fat cat loves to.
One of these days, sports business outlets will be as popular as sporting news outlets like ESPN and SI and will be able to give mainstream sports fans a more accurate picture of the financial landscape in American sports. Then, teams won't be able to use public misconceptions and ignorance against the players to get things they don't deserve.
I am not advising any action against the owners because, frankly, what could be done. The only people in our country, including government, who can keep these billionaires in check, are the people we've been yelling at to quit whining and go back to work for the last four months. The leagues' players.
Only a group with their ability to essentially shut down the factory, can make ownership have to play ball. I take my hat off to De Smith, Kevin Mawae, Jeff Saturday and the other NFLPA brass and throw it at Goodell and the owners. I guess I need to use my ::parental voice:: for these owners. Don't ever ask us for money ever again.
My thoughts on the matter after the jump.