Mudville Nine Revealed

ROONEY CLARIFIES LAWSUIT THREAT

Steelers chairman Dan Rooney provides some key insight regarding the recent reports that a group of franchises have threatened to sue if the NFL adopts a revenue-sharing plan that encroaches upon currently unshared revenues.

NFLPA executive director Gene Upshaw recently said that nine teams are strongly opposed to enhanced revenue sharing, and that they will sue the others if forced to give up local revenue streams that they currently pocket.

"I think they might vote against revenue sharing, but what are they going to sue for?" Rooney told The Washington Post. "They're trying to say if we get the votes [to approve a revenue sharing plan], they'll sue. I don't see what they can sue about. They have the right to vote no."

And if nine are going to vote against any such proposal, there's no need for a lawsuit because nine nays are enough to block the move.

Here's our interpretation -- one or two members of the Mudville nine might be wobbling. Since it only takes one of them to join with the other 23 teams to impose their collective will on the remaining eight, the possibility that a change of heart could spark an unprecedented legal fight among the members of the Billionaire Boys Club might be enough to get the folks who might be on the fence to remain united in the Gang of Nine.

Revenue sharing is a key issue now because the NFLPA hopes to include currently unshared revenues in the determination of the team-by-team salary cap. But the inclusion of the unshared revenues will result in a salary cap that, for lower earning teams, is too high -- forcing them to choose between skimping on player salaries and giving up a bigger chunk of their profit margin.

PFT

 

Here's 2005 valuations:

http://www.forbes.com/2005/09/01/sports-football-gambling-cz_05nfland.html

You can sort by team value, revenue, income, etc.

 

and it's like the 3rd or 4th most valuable franchise...

 

The Panthers own the stadium and *owe money on it.* That's probably the sticking point. There is surely ground for compromise, phase ins, etc., on this.