My Suggestion on Settling the NFL Dispute

[louis c]

I negotiate Union contracts for a living. here's my suggestion to settle the NFL dispute.

Reduce this problem to a labor-management negotiation. It is legal, under labor law, to negotiate a new work rule between the parties.

The players will be obliged to stand for the National Anthem for each game (the NBA has this work rule in effect currently, so it can be mandated by an agreement).

In return, the NFL agrees:

(1). To make a "good faith effort" to employ Colin Kapinack this season.

(2). To dedicate one week a season to Equality Awareness. The League will commit $100 Million dollars to charities that help in this awareness. The charities will be chosen by the parties (NFL and NFLPA).

(3). That one week a year (in 2017, it will be the week that Miami and Tampa play, which means there are no bye teams), the Battle Hymn of the Republic will be sung before each game that week, prior to the National Anthem. The American Flag will be a replica of the flag fought under by the Union Soldiers during the Civil War.

(4). The NFL, at its own expense, will run at least two public service, 30 second commercials during each game, approved by the union, promoting equality in the United States.

Link;

[stopbush]

1. Obligating players to stand during the anthem? Fuck that.

Here’s an idea: no more anthem before every game.

You want to hear the amthem? Play it once a year at each opening home game to mark the season and leave it at that.

[louis c]

4. The NFL. as the employer, is trying to not alienate its customers

Last edited Fri Sep 29, 2017, 06:26 PM - Edit history (1)

The players want to bring attention to injustice.

You can't make an agreement without both sides giving something.

The players have brought that attention. real dollars will be donated to promote that cause. Every year, one week will be dedicated to putting a spotlight on that cause. PS spots will promote that cause.

If the NFLPA could get an agreement like this, they should declare victory, because it would be a victory.

[stopbush]

8. And perhaps UAW workers should be required to stand and say the pledge

of allegiance every morning.

I thought this was the USA.

[WinkyDink]

11. One I ignored; the second, nope. The POSSESSIVE FORM of "IT" HAS NO APOSTROPHE. It's "ITS."

Hers.

Ours.

Theirs.

Yours.

Its.

[madokie]

12. Personally I think we all should take a knee

every time we see an LEO until they get the idea that we're not going to put up with this shit any longer. This killing of other than white skinned people at the drop of a hat has to STOP.

this old white man is sick of reading about how the cops killed another black, native American, Asian, Middle Eastern, Muslim person and many times without provocation. Fuck ' em until it hurts

[louis c]

14. That's fine

except that the employer, the NFL, is losing half their customers.

I know we're right. The NFL can't change bigots into righteous men and women. They can only bring attention to the issue.

That's what this agreement does.

[BannonsLiver]

19. Half their customers?

Gotta link that says TV ratings and merch sales have been cut in half since this started?

[louis c]

22. Their customers are still going to games

but half are pissed.

the latest poll shows the country evenly divided.

What demographic do you think NFL fans are in?

[BannonsLiver]

29. That some fans are pissed isn't in dispute.

It's the claim that half their fans are walking away that I don't buy. There's zero evidence that it's half. Pissed, annoyed and irritated are a world away from "I'm burning my tickets and never going to or watching another game again."

The league has always been controversy averse. They're accustomed to making truck loads of money. If half their revenue were really walking away they'd be falling all over themselves to agree to everything you outlined above while strong arming the players in every way possible to go along with it.

[louis c]

34. I'm looking for a way to convince bigots their wrong

That's what this agreement has a chance to do.

[HipChick]

2. Does not even address the issue of police brutality against blacks..

[louis c]

5. That's what the PS spots and the $100 Million are for

[Aristus]

3. I like it. It's eminently sensible, and addresses all of the current disagreements equitably.

That's why the NFL would never go for it...

[pangaia]

6. I propose one thing..

Play THIS at the start of every NFL game.

If Americans want to bring WAR into sports. Go right ahead.
The Shostakovich 7th Symphony is, at its root, a protest against war, and totalitarianism. He was protesting Hitler AND Stalin at the same time.
Unlike the American National Song.

Plus, by the time it is over everybody will have gone home and that will help reduce useless brain damage.

&t=2113s

[louis c]

7. This protest is not against war, but social injustice

[pangaia]

25. Yes, you are right. Absolutely. I didn't mean to imply it wasn't.

The Shostakovich is ALSO about social injustice, the injustice that will only get worse under a possible coming totalitarian American government. And that frightens me. That was the meaning I was most interested in.

The war part, seems to fit somehow as well.

Perhaps I was being a bit too...what.. obscure, or something like that...

What do you think?

[Weekend Warrior]

9. As a negotiator, I think you can appreciate and work with my response.

Remove number one as it has no business being there.

I think you have some very thoughtful ideas. None of them should be tied to an individual. All should be about the collective.

[louis c]

13. Well, we have an employee who is a victim of the dispute, and he must be made "whole"

Most objective observers believe Kapinack should be on a roster.

However, I use the labor, legal term of "good faith effort". That does not oblige the NFL to hire him back, but give him a real shot, much the same a minority coaches need to be interviewed. They don't all get hired, but some do.

If this was not a performance based employer, I would insist the employee be brought back to work if he didn't stand for the pledge of allegiance or the national anthem, and there was no work rule against it.

That's why I think it belongs there and worded that way.

[Weekend Warrior]

16. I am not convinced he is a victim when it comes to employment.

I believe he and his own agent have made some really poor moves. Truly foolish moves. I would suggest you not connect an individual to the collective or the righteous things you are bringing to the table. It simply takes eyes of of what was protested in the first place.

[louis c]

17. I agree with you, I'm not sure, either

That's why it says "good faith effort" and not "Must"

[Weekend Warrior]

20. I just finished watching the video. I enjoyed it.

Just as I enjoyed reading your thoughts.

Union negotiator. That's awesome. What do you take for headaches? 😁

[louis c]

23. I love my job

If you could get the Battle Hymn of the Republic sung by a military choir before an NFL crowd, all captive. The words on the jumbothron, you may reach some of these troglodytes.

Can you just imagine playing that song in Atlanta, Nashville, Jacksonville and Charlotte?

you want to make a statement? That's it.

[pangaia]

10. Why doesn't the NFL do all that anyway?

Why do they have to be bribed?

I mean, it is what a normal human being would support.

[Doc_Technical]

18. Just change our National Anthem to "The Liberty Bell" by J.P. Sousa

[pangaia]

26. Oh, wonderful. From a Sousa march lover and sometimes player...

I suggested the Shostakovich 7th Symphony.

But, Liberty Bell would be fantastic !!!!!!!!!!!

[Rorey]

28. Sounds great to me to change it

I'm done with The Star Spangled Banner now that I've learned more about it.

I'm just not ever going to be on board with any entity mandating that we say a pledge or stand a certain way during a song for any reason. That's not freedom. I'm not against someone doing it because they feel moved to do so, but for someone to be forced or coerced is just wrong.

I want to thank Colin Kaepernick for his role in all of this. I'm enlightened about a whole lot of things.

[NobodyHere]

21. Not sure why the NFL would agree to this

Players will stand again when they see their paychecks starting to get cut as a result of lost revenue.

[Rorey]

30. You're right. But that doesn't make it right.

I can see that they have no choice but to comply. They're basically getting DixieChicked, except the Dixie Chicks agreed to remain unified and strong.

[Voltaire2]

24. Oh hell no.

thanks but no thanks.

[Eliot Rosewater]

27. Bless you for being a union rep, you are doing god's work, sure I am an atheist but it sounds good

[louis c]

32. That song will hit the bigots who try to act like patriots

right where it hurts. Think of the learning experience that that song was sung under the flag of the united States against the Confederacy, which flew the confederate flag.

it may dawn of them who really does God work and who the patriots really are.

"As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free, His truth is marching on".

At least we are trying to get convince them in their own language.

[JoeStuckInOH]

31. IMO, The NFL's best course of action, as a corporation, is to just ride this out.

People watch NFL for the football; the highlights, the hits, and the hometown pride. Many watch because of Fantasy Football involvement. And perhaps a few people watch for the players' cute butts in spandex pants or the scantily clad cheerleaders.

But people don't watch the NFL because it's players are great politicians or activists. This is the exact reason fans root for terrible human beings like Ben Roethlisberger, Ray Lewis and (1980s) Lawrence Taylor. Think they care Ezekiel Elliot abused a woman? No... only that he got his 6 game suspension deferred and they can put him put up fantasy points. So as far as the National Anthem is concerned - LOL, REALLY?!? I can't tell you the last time I watched the national anthem sung before any professional sporting event on the TV. As far as I'm concerned, the national Anthem portion of the broadcast is on par with watching the commercial (ie: I don't).

Point being, the bulk of the NFL fan base doesn't care about socio-political issues as they relate to the NFL. Hell, there's a ton of professional sports (not just NFL) fans that FIGHT to keep offensive team names and logos.Deep down people don't give a shit and the players would rather get paid beaucoup bucks than go on strike for a single player (Colin Kaepernick) whose unemployment is still, for the most part, debatably non-political.

[louis c]

33. I heard the same reasoning about Mohamad Ali

and he was vilified in his early career, then hailed as a hero later in life.

[JoeStuckInOH]

36. Huh? There is very little comparison. Nobody is villifying colin kaepernick.

Ali (justifiably, in my opinion) refused the draft... which was explicitly against the law. Unfortunately, he chose to do this at a time in American history when racial tensions were at an all time high while also choosing to associating himself with the Nation of Islam (who holds and promotes some pretty radical racist ideals). His vilification was extremely racially motivated and unfortunately, there were laws he broke that gave "the man" a leg to stand on and beat him with.

That is nothing like Colin Kaepernick's situation.

[NobodyHere]

38. Maybe Kap's girlfriend shouldn't have insulted Baltimore's owner

Insulting prospective employers generally won't get you hired.

[JoeStuckInOH]

40. His style of QB is atypical to that of a great majority of teams.

He's much more of a Russell Wilson / Michael Vick style QB than the typical "Pro-Style" (pocket) QBs on many other teams (The Mannings, Brady's, Roethlisbergers, etc...).

Of the 2-3 teams that can currently utilize a QB like Colin Kaepernick with a play style like his WITHOUT retooling their offensive schemes and playbooks; they all already have skilled starting QBs. And Kaepernick (understandably) does not want to take the serious paycut to be one of these teams 2nd or 3rd QB. Within his skillset, he's a very good quarterback and I'm sure he wants compensated as such. The problem is that there's no one looking to buy that style of (middle-aged) QB for what he's asking. He's between a rock and a hard place... but for the right price, he'd have a contract tomorrow.

Yes, he's better (much better) than a good number of quarterbacks currently employed in the NFL. But those other QBs are on teams that have them because they fit into the play style of the existing offense. Modern football players are extremely specialized. It would be a poor decision to select a starting or second string QB that has a different skillset and requires different offensive strategy between the first and second string QB. If there were an injury midgame, which is the entire premise of backup QBs, you'd have to change the strategy you practiced for a whole week prior. It'd be a disaster.

So for Kaepernick to go to one of these 26+ teams, He'd have to again take a pay cut to be a second/third stringer while he retools his skillset. All the while, the team he went to is "gambling" that Kaepernick can make the transition... when they could alternatively be putting those resources into younger prospects that cost less $ and have longer term future outlooks.

I'd say it's about 70/30 (technical/political) that he is not on a team right now.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

42. Settle what? There's no dispute; players are protesting - AS THEY SHOULD! - & the owners

have no problem with it. Indeed, they fully support the players in what they're doing... you don't need to settle a dispute that doesn't exist.

# TakeAKnee

[louis c]

43. That was last week

The Commissioner already called a meeting of owners and players to resolve this.

If there's no problem, what was yesterday's meeting for?

If this doesn't get settled in a way that can embarrass Trump, he will win in the end. He live off division.

If we make it so the players win, and the concessions are a huge win. &100 Million to organizations Trump digests. Commercials that undoubtedly will be a subtle whack at Trump. The Battle Hymn of the Republic sung in Georgia, Florida, Tennessee and Carolina. col9n Kapernick in uniform. Are you shitting me?

I will proclaim victory and rub the asshole's face in the shit.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

44. tRump is already getting embarrassed... and the more players and owners who participate

the worse it gets for the Racist-in-Chief!! I say keep on keeping on!!