Rumor of Robust Revenue Sharing Is Good News For Bucks Fans

(1) The “if” isn’t really the point of emphasis in what I was saying on revenue sharing. It seems like revenue sharing will undoubtedly increase, but now there is news that the real emphasis is on “how” the sharing will be structured. Small market owners are pushing for more sharing in the early years of the deal, while big market owners are hoping to keep the number low until the third and fourth years of the new agreement.

It seems like a good play by the small market owners to seize the opportunity to try and get help sooner…seeing as the owners are presenting concerns about operating losses to the players as a bargaining point, why not use the same argument for more money immediately in going to the big market owners too. There doesn’t seem to be much infighting between new and old owners that we know about, it’s more about small market owners trying to turn their books around in the near future by using the party line to their advantage.

(2) The league does share the league wide network TV revenue (ESPN, ABC, TNT), but it wouldn’t make much sense to share the individual local TV contracts equally. We all know that not all franchises are created equally, as it’s the reason revenue sharing is necessary at all, and the differences in value are reflected in the franchise valuations and buying prices generally. While it doesn’t make much sense to directly split the local TV contracts, revenue sharing is essentially an indirect way to get at the same problem anyways. The big markets will be giving back to the smaller markets based on their inherent advantages.

(3) You are right to say that the parties are currently still far apart, but it is really on the BRI split. The recent negotiations have apparently been more about cleaning up the more complicated peripheral issues like revenue sharing and salary cap structure, because if those issues are figured out then they can have an agreement in principle as soon as the BRI number is decided upon. While BRI is certainly the most important issue, ultimately it is just a simple number game in negotiating terms. Players are trying to push a 53-47 split in their favor, while the owners want a 54-46 split in their favor. The bargaining zone is clear, and most credible sources expect a 50-50, or a 51-49 split in favor of the owners in the end. So the seven hours were spent talking cap issues and revenue sharing, while the BRI split will be something left to lock in place with the meat of the other negotiated issues being handled this past week.

(4) Wade was apparently angry that Stern used his finger to point at him will giving a lecture on negotiating points. So it was one of those stupid “manhood” things that has almost nothing to do with the actual substance of the negotiation. As to why Stern began lecturing Wade? My guess would be that is was because the superstars finally showed up and suddenly attempted to push the union to dig in at 53% BRI figure.

The superstars like Wade and LeBron certainly have enough money in previously earned salary and lucrative endorsements to withstand a long holdout for the 53% figure, but what about their cohorts who make league minimum and might now have the same liquidity? The union represents a lot more players who are hurting for a paycheck than they do superstars flush with cash and armed with big egos. Stern likely not only brought that point to his attention, but also the fact that Wade hasn’t been around for the negotiations, has no business background, has no negotiating experience, and might not quite understand the finer points of where the talks have been headed and what points the owners have been clarifying and emphasizing. Stern has been known to be a lot more aggressive in private than he comes off in public, so maybe it was just a clash of egos…I suspect he didn’t much appreciate having to rewind the negotiation and cover things that top officials already understand for the sake of a few under-informed superstars who finally decided to show up to a meeting.

As for the Bears game, it was good to see Hester get the return record today, but the game was a bit closer than I thought it would be…Cam Newton was much more accurate than I expected him to be, and of course he’s difficult to sack. Bears defenders still left some INTs on the field, but in the end it was enough.

Forte got on track, the line blocked pretty well (despite the very frequent personnel shuffling…where it looks like Lance Louis has beaten out Frank Omiyale as RT standby for Carimi), and the Bears earned the W. You take em any way you can get em in the NFL, I suppose.