by Ryan Henry
A well-renown, pill-popping, New Jersey-based, television
doctor had a saying: “Everyone lies.” While this may not be perfectly true, it
certainly holds whenever people are talking about labor disputes or contract
holdouts. It is the reason why when Maurice Jones-Drew said that his contract
holdout wasn’t entirely about the money, nobody believed him. It is also why
when the NFL and their referees say that it is only about the money we should
be skeptical.
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| First down! Source: nfl.com |
Right now, referees get paid about $3000 per game with the
some of the referees making up to $140,000 per year. The NFL wants to increase
the number of available NFL-approved referees and replace the pension that was
part of the CBA the negotiated back in 2006 and put in place a defined
contribution 401(k) valued somewhere between $16,000 and $22,000, according to
ESPN.com. The league is citing a downturning “economic environment,” which is
the same argument they used against the players.
These numbers should seem low. In 2011, the NFL grossed $9
billion in revenue. That’s billion…with
a “b.” Why then are they arguing about what would amount to less than 1% of
their revenue? Because it isn’t about the money.
Instead, what this holdout is really about is the NFL
telling the referees that they are a dime a dozen, and if they don’t want to
work, then they will find someone who will. The NFL wants their referees to
feel replaceable. They want them to know their place.
The referees on the other hand want to show the NFL that without
their expertise, the quality of the product that the NFL produces will decline.
And it will. If you watched a preseason game, then you got to see some of this
in action. There were questionable calls (more so than in a normal NFL game);
there were more challenges; and the pace of the game felt a lot slower. In week
one of the preseason in the game between Green Bay and San Diego, there was an unsportsmanlike
penalty called for after a rookie scored his first NFL sack and flexed. The ref
said that that constituted unnecessary celebration. Granted, that was the first
week of the preseason and many refs weren’t used to the NFL rules, but the
preseason represents a much slower game. Players simply don’t care that much
about the preseason.
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| NFL referees discussing. Source: nfl.com |
When the regular season comes around (Wednesday September 5,
2012, Dallas at New York Giants), calls will be missed. The NFL is hoping that
these calls aren’t too egregious. The referees currently embroiled in a holdout
hope they are.
Best case scenario? We have replacement referees on Wednesday,
but they reach a deal and are able to work on Sunday. However, this remains
unlikely. Once a deal is met, each NFL referee must undergo a fitness test and
a recertification. Basically, the referee equivalent of a checkup. It is far
more likely that the NFL will wait until after the Monday night game to
determine what kind of leverage it has. If the replacement refs do well, then
you can be sure the NFL will force the Union to agree to its terms. If they do
poorly, then it becomes a much more interesting story. It boils down to how
much the NFL wants to taint its product with poor officiating.
This is especially excruciating for the coaches and players.
After all, at the end of the day they are the ones that have to play under
these circumstances. With poor officiating, players are able to get away with
more, which in turn leads to more injuries. Coaches on the “hot seat” could
also lose their jobs. The NFL is a league of inches, and poor officiating can
be the difference in a potential playoff appearance or being on the outside
looking in.
No matter what happens with the end of this holdout,
remember this. Everybody lies, and when they say it is about the money…then it
definitely isn’t.
