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Everyone has heard the phrase “show me the money” and that seems to be what the players are saying to the NFL owners. While the owners are claiming that owning an NFL franchise is actually a losing investment. Which one is closest to the truth? Decide for yourself after reading the top five reasons for both sides not signing the CBA (collective bargaining agreement).

Top 5 Reasons for the Owners:

5 – Stadium attendance is down; owners say that ticket sales are down because the actual game experience just isn’t quite what it used to be for the fans and that the players need to help find a way to re-ignite the fire and excitement.

4 – Want a new judge to arbitrate the negotiations; the owners feel that the current judge, David Doty, is biased towards the players and want a replacement.

3 – Fighting within the owners; one example is that some of the owners are willing to sell the naming rights to their stadiums (which brings in more money for that particular owner) and others will not.

2 – Rookies get paid too much; owners feel that the pay scale is out of control. For example, the first round draft picks usually earn more than the proven, vested veterans before they even play their first game.

1 – Owners feel that the NFL players are currently getting more than their fair share; the NFL players, after the owners take the one billion dollar credit, get a little under 60% of the total revenue.

Top 5 Reasons for the Players:

5 – Want more control over contracts; naturally the restricting fee agency and length of contracts is a sticking point.

4 – Medical coverage; this is mainly for the retired players as the union has put the needs on the current players for years and they want this to change especially since new information is being found on long term brain damage within the sport.

3 – Want to share in all revenues; right now after the first billion dollars in revenue the players get almost 60% of the remaining money. However, the remaining money comes from things like licensing, broadcast fees and ticket sales; whereas the owners still get to keep revenue from concessions, parking and stadium naming rights which means the players are really getting a smaller piece of the pie.

2 – Do not want to extend the playing season; owners want to extend the season by two games as a way of making more money. The players don’t want this and one reason cited is because the injuries in this sport with the shortest career lifespan are already at an all time high.

1 – Players want access to the “books”; if indeed an NFL franchise is a losing venture like the owners say it is then the players feel that the owners should be willing to have a third party review the ledgers (eradicating any sensitive information) and share the findings with the players.

Obviously the bottom line between the two sides is a lack of trust, so do the players have a point? Should the owners be more open with the finances? Or, should the players be grateful for what they already have?

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• NFL lockout causes cracks in fan loyalty (csmonitor.com)
• You: NFL Lockout: 5 Reasons the 2011 NFL Season Will Not Start on Time (bleacherreport.com)
• Ominous signs arise in NFL lockout (thestar.com)
• NFL Lockout Timeline Sent To Players (sbnation.com)