You may have heard recent talk in the media about the pending Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations and what it means to NFL fans. Exactly what will the salary cap-free 2010 season mean to teams like the Vikings? What is going to happen if no agreement is reached by the end of next season? Are the owners really going to lockout the players in 2011?
DontMesswithSuccess.com is a grassroots organization of football fans and community leaders that have come together to provide a voice for common sense while the owners and players negotiate over a new Collective Bargaining Agreement.
With the owners asking the players to take a nearly 20 percent pay cut and threatening to lockout the players in 2011 if they do not get their way, our mission is to advocate that both sides work it out before a lockout and preserve the game that we all know and love.
Pro football has never been better for owners, players and fans. On the field, the league continues to create an incredible game. Off-the-field, money continues to pour in. Total league revenue tops $8 billion, and despite the economic meltdown, just 22 of 256 games failed to sell out in 2009.
This past season, we saw just how popular the NFL has become. The Super Bowl was the most watched television program of all-time, while the Vikings played in two of the top three most watched games ever televised.
While football can survive a recession, a lockout threatens to change football – forever.
The threat of a lockout is real. The owners have already taken the unprecedented step of doing away with the salary cap for 2010, and they have retained the same lawyer the NHL used to orchestrate that league’s lockout in 2004.
If the owners make good on their threat to cancel the 2011 season, stadiums across the country will sit empty. That means no games for fans… no jobs for stadium workers… no customers for restaurants, hotels and vendors… and no tax revenue for city and state governments.
Together, our group will make the case that there is more at stake than just the bottom-line. Our message: work it out, don’t lock us out. Don’t mess with success.
Grassroots efforts are the main way to lend our voice to this conversation as fans. DontMesswithSuccess.com is actively building a coalition including local community leaders, bar and restaurant owners, association groups, non-profits, unions, elected officials and fan groups to help lend a voice to help avoid the negative impact of a lockout. Please check out our web site at www.DontMesswithSuccess.com for more information. If you’d like to help our efforts, please call Michael Misterek at 651-251-0689 or by email at info@strategicfield.org.
-Mike Misterek
Founder and author of SavetheVikes.org. Born and raised in MN, Cory has been a lifelong Vikings fan. Season ticket holder, stop by and see him in section 218! cory.merrifield@savethevikes.org 