Oct. 17, 2007
Labor negotiations are a touchy subject. The sensitivity stems from the fact no one wants to have their livelihood messed with or, for the most part, commented on. Until you walk a mile in the shoes of a union member or as part of management, you don't understand exactly what's at stake.
With this in mind, it's inappropriate for me to assess blame for the cancellation of the 2008 National Lacrosse League season. The responsibility lies with both parties to some degree, but as anyone who is married knows, sometimes it's impossible to find an acceptable middle ground.
Even without assigning blame, there are still some questions that linger in the wake of the cancellation.
What's the Endgame?
Obviously, this stoppage does not signal the NLL's demise, so when are the two sides returning to the negotiating table to make sure there is a 2009 season? There will likely be a period of no communication as the reality of the lost season marinates with the stakeholders, but the sooner one of the sides can extend an olive branch, the better.
Not only is it positive to reconnect the lines of communications, but the NLL needs to stay on the radar of its fans and media during the hiatus, even if it's just weekly updates confirming the two sides are trying to find a solution. If the player's union and management decide to close the shutters and hang a sign on the doorknob reading "Be Back in '09," they run the risk of losing their fan base to a myriad of other entertainment options out there.
Jim Jennings spoke about improving the NLL business model in the wake of the cancellation, but he's smart enough to know he needs to get both sides talking again as soon as possible in order to ensure there is a model to improve. Assumably, the players do, as well.
Which Side Will Blink First?
Missing an entire season and the accompanying revenue streams isn't going to make the owners more likely to dig deeper in their wallets. If anything, they'll have to tighten their belts if/when play resumes in 2009. This means the league probably won't be able to up their last offer, which was reportedly a five-year deal with minimal annual raises.
With a larger constituency and wider range of needs, the PLPA will have a harder time remaining steadfast in their demands against a unified ownership group. I'm guessing the players will capitulate first, but hopefully the league will soften the blow with a little sweetner. It will likely also be the PLPA because the owners are intractable in their demands, rebuffing an 11th-hour alteration by the players that was deemed unacceptable.
Is the Season Really Over?
I asked myself the same question, especially considering there's over two months before the first scheduled games are to start. But according to NLL commish Jim Jennings, the league instructed the owners to release their arena dates on Tuesday morning. The television contract with VERSUS was also voided. This season is done as dinner.
How Does Tim Armstrong Feel Right Now?
The owner of the Boston Blazers may not have expected a huge windfall in his first year with the league, but he certainly expected some kind of return on his investment. Instead of starting the quest to carve out a niche in sport-saturated Beantown, his franchise must attempt to retain the fickle fan interest without a product to peddle. For a guy used to working with a streamlined operation like Google, this must be somewhat tough to swallow. Hopefully this will be just a blip on Armstrong's way to a booming franchise and not a cautionary tale for future investors.
How will fans react?
Unlike work stoppages in other high-profile professional sports, for the most part we're not dealing with billionaire owners and millionaire athletes. When Joe Fan sees people haggling over sums of money they won't amass in a lifetime it quickly produces disgust and loathing. It was this reaction that crippled baseball for several years and still has the NHL on shaky ground.
In contrast, the average salary of an NLL player is $14,500 - an amount fans can wrap their heads around. Because of this the fans will react with less anger and more disappointment. The NLL will have to work to recoup a lot of their fans when the gates finally open back up, but without the pervasive feeling of enmity it should be a doable task.
5. What Does This Mean for the Sport of Lacrosse?
Eh, our sport has matured to the point where it can handle some bad PR (see: lacrosse, Duke), so I don't think the NLL's growing pains will leave a lasting mark. It's a hassle for fans who were geared up for a winter of indoor lacrosse action, but this hiccup seems to have an easy, and harmless, solution, in my opinion.
It will be interesting to see what pops up during these months typically owned by the NLL. November through February has almost been the exclusive domain of the indoor sport with various smaller nuggets emanating from the collegiate, MLL and high school ranks.
It will certainly be a bitter pill for Tom Borelli, a contributing writer here at Lacrosse Magazine Online, to swallow. He had an award named after him last year - given to the NLL's most outstanding newspaper writer or columnist - and the following year there is nothing to write about.
Contact Jac Coyne at jcoyne@uslacrosse.org.
