FanPost

Six Months Ago!

Six months ago on September 2, I posted a blog here titled "Locked Out Denver Bronco Football Addict". There were some excellent responses on the article then. I am re-posting that article now that the dreaded event has happened and hope many of you will update your thoughts and feelings on the issue. Here is the re-post:

Locked Out Denver Bronco Football Addict Story-edit

I am primarily an Denver Bronco FOOTBALL ADDICT. I spend hours searching for and reading all that I can find about my mountain mustangs. I keep stats on my favorite players. My weekly NFL television time catches everything the standard TV channels broadcast. Have thought about signing up to get all the games on the NFL Channel. I wear my "colors" if I go to a local sports bar to catch the Sunday action. I use to own three season tickets in the nose bleed zone in the North stands at the old Mile High Stadium. Almost died when I lost them around a divorce. I repeat, I AM AN DENVER BRONCO FOOTBALL ADDICT.

Sounds like an open confession from one of those anonymous substance abuse groups. But, like any junkie, I put my self in a place of subservience to my supplier. In this case the NFL.

What's the point you ask? Here are a number of them:

1. Will the NFL lockout the players next year and produce a season manned by second class ability players and force myself and my fellow NFL addicts to accept a "fix" that has been "stepped on" but with the fix still carrying a full "pure" product price?

2. With this year being free of salary cap rules,you would have expected rich teams to go on a spending spree to bring in free agents and nail down their existing premium players. For the most part it didn't happen.

3. If regular players are financially squeezed by a non payday lockout 2011 season, they might just be tempted to jump out of the NFLPA and bargain individually with the teams to play for a pittance of a re-negotiated salary just to keep the roof over their families heads.

4. Next year, will the NFL blame the players union for a "hard nosed" attitude in negotiations as reason for the lock out season? And will that be the precursor to a NFL team united front to "break" the NFLPA and thus increasing their "bottom line" through payment of lower player benefits,pensions, and salaries across the board? And in an inflationary time like now, the owners profits will multiply while applying a financial headlock on the players.

As a DENVER BRONCO ADDICT I understand that the owners and management sit at the top of and currently control the issue. I also understand that the owners would not be where they are WITHOUT the class players who have put them there over the many seasons. Class players equaled a first class football product over the years. Who paid for it? I did, and all my fellow pro-football addicts.

I hope the gloomy scenario doesn't happen, but if it does, please support those that make the game we love possible; the players. Help support the NFLPA financially next year and boycott the games as a message to the owners to be open to a fair sharing of the profits and openness in negotiations. Bronco addicts are you with me on this issue?


This is a Fan-Created Comment on MileHighReport.com. The opinion here is not necessarily shared by the editorial staff of MHR.