Organizations are trying to save extra money. Players are trying to get extra money. That's the way it is.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
Many players want to make as much money as they can and change teams for ten grand. How is that going to make much difference to their lives?
I have a hard time believing athletes are overpriced. If an owner is losing money, give it up. It's a business. I have trouble figuring out why owners would stay in if they're losing money.
But if you look at teams that want to share more revenues, they're teams that don't have a lot on the table. They've long since not had any serious investment in their team.
Some of the money from the senior players goes to helping out the younger kids. It is from the players' pool, the fines for being late and so on. Some will go to something like the tsunami appeal and some to helping out young players.
I believe a lot of players that start to think about money - 'Oh my goodness; I'm up for a new contract' - they don't have a great season because they're thinking about all these different things. Do your business on the field, and everything takes care of itself.
When money comes into play then that's all it's about wanting money, who's making the most who can get the most, me, me me... and in the end it screws up the person and the sport.
The scary thing is that players have a one-upsmanship about money; they sign a contract and they like it until someone signs a bigger one and now they don't like it. I don't like that. I don't begrudge anyone money, but it disrupts the football team.
Players today are concerned about the money, but the large dollars only go to those players who are the best.
And historically the owners have used loyalty to a team or a city to hold players as opposed to always paying their worth.
I think that players play, and they compete, and it's not about incentives.