The NFL Referee Lockout – Failing The Taste Test

Remember when Coca-Cola changed their formula?

Years ago the Coca-Cola Company changed their soft drink formula and started marketing the “new Coke.”   The sweeter formula, their research showed, was just the thing the American people wanted. However, the change practically started a revolt.   Across the country protest groups formed in an effort to change the company’s decision.   Petition signing campaigns were instigated in most cities.   It was urged that those that were dissatisfied call the company to protest their change.   Hundreds of thousands of telephone calls were made.  After all the furor was over, the Coca-Cola Company caved in and brought back the old Coke.

By allowing the NFL Referee Lockout and hiring replacement referees, the NFL failed to realize how vitally important the professional referees are to the integrity of the game, player safety, and fan enjoyment.   In essence, they changed the winning formula of the NFL.

Obviously they need to change the formula, bring back the real referees and end the lockout.

But what exactly is the lockout about anyway and why did the NFL go in the direction they did?

Raise your hand if any of the following sounds familiar:

• Unions and their workers want to keep their pensions.
• Local Governments and Corporations want to do away with costly guaranteed pension plans.
• People don’t think they are adequately compensated for their work and amount of time required to do their jobs.
• Corporations and Governments want to move to a pay per performance review scale.
• Folks worry about job security.
• The Rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

Well, that is exactly what the NFL Referee Lockout is all about.

Pension vs. no Pension.

Shift from a pension plan – yes part time professional referees get a full pension – .  The NFL wants to move away from this costly guarantee to a more industry standard 401K format and put the burden of maintaining it on the employee.

Current Salary vs. Peers and wanting more money.

The NFL actually offered up an extra 20% on average salary increase.  Of course they attached some strings to this condition.  The Union does not think this is fare based on historical events.

Job security vs. performance reviews.

The NFL wants more officiating crews.  This means expanded talent pool, ability to weed out the poorer performing ones and have more alternates waiting on the sidelines should they be needed.  In a pay per play environment, this is good for the NFL, bad for the refs.

Full time vs. Part time. 

The league wants to hire seven full time referees (one for each position) as recruiters, trainers and leaders.   The league argues that the sacrifices each current referee makes regarding years of study and training just to be eligible to work the games equates to more of a full time job and therefore a full time compensation plan.  The Union is not directly opposed to the seven full time employees but believes the compensation being offered up by the NFL is not adequate.

 

This lockout is between the haves and the have-nots and is not all that different than what we all are witnessing and experiencing in American politics, the economy and society today.  What makes this lockout and the use of replacement referees even more newsworthy is this skirmish is being played out on national television with millions of people watching.

And when millions of people watch, a bunch of money is being made.

The NFL has lucrative TV contracts, ticket sales, merchandising plans and even a pretty good PR / Marketing department.  All this adds up to a $9 Billion dollar industry that is growing stronger and bigger year after year.

The players union argued that even though hundreds of millions of public money and personal (owners) capital had been invested into the NFL to help make it what it is today, that they played an equally important role in the NFL’s success.   So they negotiated a new collective bargaining agreement last year – yes there was a lockout for that too – and as a result; the rich keep getting richer and the NFL juggernaut keeps making money and we get professional football back.

Or, so we all thought.

Along came the NFL Officials Union and their attempt to negotiate a new deal.

The big difference here is that officials are not multi-millionaire athletes.  They are not full time employees and even though on principle, their demands were significant to them, in reality they were not significant to the NFL.

This is the NFL’s version of the 1% vs. the 99% as well as the upcoming election and the Rich vs. the Middle Class.

Don’t believe me?

Consider this.  The total yearly difference – cost – to the NFL was about $4.5 million.

I don’t know about you, but when I divide 4 million by 9 billion I come up with – well – practically nothing.

In other words the true financial impact to the NFL was nothing.  So from their point of view, why would they be compelled to meet with the union and hammer out a new deal when they can get replacement refs to do the same job and keep making more money?

What has become painfully clear to everyone over the past 3 weeks is that the officials are a vital ingredient to the success of the NFL.

The NFL changed their formula and the replacement referees have failed the taste test!

 

Inspirational reading for this post was contributed by:

THE EXAMINER

OPPOSINGVIEWS

THE CSMONITOR

Is It The End Of Times For The NFL?

Scripture says:  I’m paraphrasing here . . .

• Many will come in name and deceive many.
  • The replacement officials have arrived and they, along with the NFL, are attempting to convince us that they are the real deal.
• There will be wars and rumors of wars.
  • Fights are rampant and tempers are hot.
• The first sorrows will be in the form of calamities and fearful sights.
  • Yes I know this is talking about famines and huge natural disasters but the officiating has been downright scary and changed the course of games.
• Preparations will be made for the coming of Antichristcommissioner.   Preceded by false prophets and false signs and wonders – Anticommissioner will be a master of illusion, of ‘shock and awe’ – He will persecute the true servants with rage and fury.
  • Wow this one is eye opening . . .
    • “Preceded by False Prophets Officials” –        Check!
    • “False Signs Calls / Penalties”            –        Check!
    • “Wonders / Incredible Finishes”          –        Check!
    • “Master of illusion and shock and awe”         –        Not Yet, but maybe . . .
    • “Persecute the true servants Officials” –        Check!

 

For what it is worth, there are replacement officials in our county youth football league too!

This past Saturday, my sons team tied the opposing team at 6 – 6.  We all knew this.  And with all the supportive sports minded parents in attendance and with today’s technology, it was on film.  (OK, memory cards – but you get the point).

And yet, somehow the head official said we won!  The whole team (kids) erupted in cheer!  The coaches yelled.  Ours in jubilant false joy!  The opposing team’s in outrage and disbelief.

And yet, the head official said our RB had scored the extra point attempt on our TD.  He didn’t of course.  But none of that mattered.  Our head coach even went over after all the celebration and talked to the official and the other team’s coach that the official was mistaken.  But the ruling had been made.  The decree of the official set in stone.  It was a done deal.

A hollow victory, but a victory none the less.

 

I fear that it may be the End of Times for the sport of football.

Not the End of Times for the NFL.

• They have lucrative TV and advertising deals as well as a fairly healthy marketing campaign and ticket sales.

Not the End of Times for the Networks.

• Millions of people still tune in every week to watch.
• Face it many of us love to watch a train wreck.
• We also love to watch football.
• Now we can do both at the same time.

Give Them An Inch, They Take A Mile

The basic definition of the saying “give and inch and take a mile” is:

a situation where permitting some small undesirable situation will allow gradual and unavoidable worsening.

This is exactly what has happened to the NFL, the game of football, and the whole replacement referee fiasco we currently witness every Sunday.

In their never ending desire for greed and power, the NFL has inadvertently opened the flood gates of chaos.

By not coming to an agreement with the Real Referees of the NFL, the NFL itself has changed the game with installing the replacement referees.

My best analogy is to this is substitute teachers.   Think about it, you have a regular authority figure , the teacher, who controls the class, sets the example and lays down the law every day.  If the teacher is any good, the kids know who is in charge and what is expected.   Sure, you are going to have the one or two trouble makers who will always try to push the boundary but they are not the majority and they are not usually successful in their efforts to permanently disrupt the class room world.  In essence there is controlled and well organized chaos.

Then one day, the regular teacher gets sick and suddenly there is a substitute.   Suddenly the whole class is faced with a new person who is unfamiliar with the ground rules, does not have the full curriculum for others to follow, and in short – opens the door of opportunity.  More kids “test” the boundaries of play and behavior, and if they get away with even the littlest of infractions, others join in and soon you have completely changed the whole dynamic and behavior of the class room world.

This is what has happened in the NFL.

The game is slowly getting out of control.

In a way, this is a perfect antithesis or perfect storm to the leagues recent efforts to “civilize” the game.

While watching the games, part of me enjoys the heightened intensity of the play and increased trash talking that has taken place.  Football is by nature a physical and violent sport filled with intense competition.  Players have always played and talked up their “game”.  But, just like with kids and substitute teachers, when a couple get away with things that normally would not be allowed, then others join in, and even escalate, and soon we no longer have controlled chaos.

In other words, give them an inch, they take a mile.

I don’t blame the Refs.

I don’t blame the players, or even the coaches – although they could and should play the role models themselves by instilling discipline in the heads of their players (AKA are you listening to this Mr. Josh Morgan? Mr. Fisher?  Mr. Shanahan?)

I blame the NFL and Roger Goodell.

Some say for real change to occur, something drastic, dramatic or life threatening has to happen.

I hope, in the case of the replacement referees, the referee union, and the NFL; that this does not happen.  If allowed to escalate, somebody could get seriously hurt or entire outcomes of championship games will be altered and fans just might push the boundaries of acceptable behavior.

What I am hoping comes out of all this is real change.

• An added talent pool of referees (male and female) to officiate the game.
• A moderation of extreme play and extreme whistle blowing.
• And at least a semblance of good old fashioned football where a strong hard hitting defense is just as good, just as important and fun to watch as a high scoring offense.

What I am hoping we do NOT get out of this is the NFL’s version of The Lord of the Flies.