President Obama, Nationalize the NFL
Take the NFL away from the owners who are violating the public trust by abusing their monopoly position. Problem solved.
If you want to know all about the owners position read this column by ESPN’s Bill Simons.
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Terrible idea. Let the NFL fail. There is a massive amount of money just sitting there. Something will take its place.
Break the monopoly. I don’t think we have the requisite intestinal fortitude to nationalize or let the NFL fail, but one can dream.
I switched to watching real football (aka soccer). American football just isn’t all that great.
Change your name to “Liberal Effete” you latte drinking limey.
Nope. No limey here. 100% American with eyes open.
You like what you want, and I’ll like what I want. Frankly, it wouldn’t bother me to see the entire NFL implode.
What monopoly position????? Anyone is free to form a league to rival the NFL. Think USFL or that other disaster, the XFL, or whatever it was. Moreover, the NFL competes with any other number of entertainment companies/regimes. The whole notion that the NFL is a monopoly really just demonstrates a poor level of understanding economic theory.
@Pubilius “Anyone is free to form a league to rival the NFL.”
Good point, but only partly true. The NFL is engaged politically, and has arranged a number of “special perks” (at taxpayer expense). Unless the competition has access to those same perks, then it IS a monopoly of sorts. Don’t blame the NFL for being greedy. Blame the politicians who play into this nonsense with our money and thus benefact special status on the NFL.
The antitrust problem relates to owners imposing a salary cap without an agreement from the players, not to a monopoly on football.
Publius, to say that football competes with other forms of entertainment shows you don’t know all that much about economic theory as it relates to labor. Football players have specialized skills, just like workers in many other fields. I realize your sort would throw all workers to the tender mercies of capitalists; fortunately for society, the rest of us outnumber your sort.
@Geezer “Football players have specialized skills”
So what? Are those skills essential skills? Entertainment dollars go to people with all sorts of skills.
If the players want to play hardball, they should just form the PFL (Players Football League). Do they really need the owners?
Australian Rules Football for me. And the Irish sport of Hurling (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurling).
We Irish are spectacular Hurlers!
Why, even at my advanced age [for the sport], I still put up stunning numbers in the projectile vomiting category.
The NFL is simply the highest bidder for those “specialized skills” other competing bidders are the WWF, Cage Fighting, and furniture moving companies.
LE: Goodness no. My point was that if owners collude to limit salaries (aka a “salary cap”) it could be ruled a violation of antitrust law.
I’m against the entire concept of a salary cap. IMO the owners will be entitled to dictate their cut of the profits on the day that ticket purchasers show up to watch owners, rather than players, do their jobs.