One Step at a Time
Kevin Sheller
Wednesday March 1, 2000
One step at a time.
For a while now, we`ve heard player mumblings about unfair treatment in the Arena Football League. While this wasn`t common, it did surface on occasion. Players and their wives would write to us at Arenafan Online asking for some sort of help. Of course, we could provide none, but these incidents did make us wonder if something like this might happen.
Lately, the players supporting the lawsuit feel that unless the lawsuit is WON, the players will not be successful. They will have failed, and things will not change for the better. But really, this isn`t so.
Look what they`ve been able to do so far!
There is no doubt the players have the owners` attention. The teams are willing to negotiate - more so than they`ve ever been. They`re BEGGING to negotiate. They WANT to provide better benefits and better pay. Heck, I`d be happy to provide more pay to the players than fight a lawsuit - if for no other reason than I`d rather pay the players than the lawyers. Up until now, teams have not had the financial capabilities to do it. And maybe some teams still don`t, but they`re willing to do it anyway.
The players should congratulate themselves. They`ve made some great strides. The owners are willing and able to negotiate. It is highly likely player employment will be greatly improved after these negotiations can proceed. They can now celebrate their success and get down to business with these negotiations.
And who`s to say what happens in the future? Perhaps the league continues to experience great success. Perhaps massive national sponsors will pour millions into the league. Perhaps TV contracts will explode. Perhaps every game will sell out, with arenas bursting at the seams.
But if this great success occurs, and the owners aren`t willing to share the wealth, then guess what? It`ll be time to use the bargaining chips the players have at their disposal to make sure it happens, whether it be lawsuits or union tactics. Whatever it takes. However, right now, the league isn`t big enough. Just like the league can`t
go out and sign Pepsi to a multimillion-dollar ad contract, the players can`t
get rich by playing Arena Football.
Even in the normal business world, get rich quick schemes don`t work. You have to take it one step at a time. And wow, what a great step the players have made. It`s time to pull up a chair and do some bargaining. It`s time to work together and come up with an amicable solution. It`s time to make the players happy. It`s time to make the owners happy. But most of all, it`s time to make everyone happy and play some football.
Kevin Sheller ia founder of Arenafan Online and was the principal owner until 2004. Kevin graduated from the University of Akron with a degree in technical writing, and has been a member of the Arena Football Internet community since 1993. He has worked as a professional web programmer and is also the executive producer for a computer/video game company. The most recent Xbox title to his credit is called Hunter: The Reckoning.
