Tiger Woods, NFL Labor Strife

I picked the two items probably most written about in the sports world. I try not to do that. Sometimes I can't help it.

Eldrick Woods
Who cares? I don't. The man made a mistake. That mistake was getting married. One of the richest athletes on earth and one of the most recognizable faces on the planet messed up when he decided to tie himself to one woman.

By all reports, Woods is a tail hound. Good for him. He's married. Bad for him.

That's the problem with our conformist society. Expectations are for all of us to be pods. We are supposed to go to school, get a job, get married and have children. Basically that's a load of bullshit. Yet just about everybody does it if for no other reason as it's the "norm."

Parents put pressure on adult offspring for grandbabies. To put it bluntly,"Hey Mom and Dad, screw you. It's none of your business."

So Eldrick conformed. On top of the golf world, he married. I'm sure he was a babe hound long before he was married. That's his and the women's rights. He could screw his talent right out if he wanted. What two consenting adults do is their business only.

Instead of conforming, Woods should have just stayed single and enjoyed his carefree bachelor ways. Trust me, it's worth it.

NFL Labor Strife
I've read several articles from both points of view. The NFL owners and players are waging a media PR war on the labor issues. It's hard to see who is telling the truth.

Owners claim that they are losing money and want the players to give up a bigger slice of the revenue pie. The owners also assert that since players benefit from the capital investments, such as new stadiums and operating costs, the players should also contribute to the costs.

The players counter the claims of losing money. They want proof and have asked the NFL to open up the accounting books and prove it. The players don't want to give up money and revenue they've won in previous contract agreements. Players also say that once the salary cap goes away they won't ever agree to a new one.

This is what we all know. NFL is the most popular sport in the U.S. The revenue stream is no where near dry. Franchise values are enormous. Most stadiums are sold out on game day. Fans buy up merchandise and pay for parking spots. They even pay for the right to purchase seats in the form of PSLs.

The real fight is about who gets what percentage of the money. With all the merchandise, sold out stadiums, revenue sharing and outrageous TV money, I don't believe the owners stance that they are losing money.

What I think is there as some big revenue teams like the Cowboys, Giants, Redskins, Patriots and Texans that want to keep a bigger slice of what they bring in. Teams in Buffalo, Jacksonville and Green Bay want to keep the revenue sharing in place for fear of not being able to compete with the larger money teams.

The owners might be showing a united front but I think maybe something else is brewing. Keep in mind it's only my personal theory and it's based on nothing but thin air. The owners might try to get the players to give up a chunk of the revenue and spread some of that around to the medium to small market teams. The big market teams will take a bigger slice of what they bring in but use the players concessions in a contract to make up the loss of revenue to the smaller market teams.

In a work stoppage, the owners will make off like bandits. The owners will still receive TV money in the even of a work stoppage. According to that article, about $5 billion despite not playing a game. Also, clubs are planning cost cutting moves should 2011 schedule get cancelled.

The biggest dupes in this scheme are the television networks. Why the hell are they forking over money for a product that won't exist. Makes no sense.

The biggest losers will be the fans. We pay for the stadiums by social welfare via taxes. We watch the games on TV. We buy the tickets, jerseys and other merchandise. We show up on Sundays. Yet that loyalty will be repaid by a possible lockout or strike and a whole bunch of nothing to show for it.

Thanks NFL owners and players.