NFL's Collusion Scandal and the Shifting Landscape of American Sports

A document detailing the NFL’s secret, closed-door litigation over collusion accusations was recently unearthed by Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio and Pablo Torre of Pablo Torre Finds Ou t. It details the league-wide freak out over Deshaun Watson’s fully guaranteed contract and the steps the league and its owners took to prevent such agreements from becoming the norm. Even if the independent arbitrator found no evidence of collusion exactly, the steps the NFL took reveal stunning aspects of the league.

The NFL is the only major American professional sports league that does not have fully guaranteed contracts for its players. Although the arbitrator found no evidence of collusion, they did point out that the NFL Management Council did encourage teams to limit the amount of guaranteed money on veteran contracts. Their fear was that teams would handcuff themselves and limit their salary cap space with guaranteed contracts, something the league perceived could upset the competitive balance of the game.

The NFL Management Council, or NFLMC, is an organization that advises NFL teams on how to adapt to shifts in the way business is conducted around the league. Per Mike Florio:

“I’ve been doing this 25 years now, and the unmistakable vibe that I have picked up over the years is what the management council says goes, and what, when they give you a suggestion, they’re not really giving you a suggestion. They’re telling you this is how business gets done”

New York Giants owner John Mara is the head of the NFL Management Council and has repeatedly ridiculed the idea that owners would take advice from the council. That doesn’t quite make sense, but it begs the question: why does the group even exist, then? American Sports leagues desire a certain degree of control over the decisions their owners make. If the leagues can’t trust them, why should fans?

Why It Matters For NFL Fans

Most fans have little sympathy for athletes when it comes to contract issues, and it’s hard to blame them, given the insane salaries many players make, but if any league’s players deserve more guaranteed money, it’s the NFL’s. It is the largest, most profitable league in the country , and its sport is uniquely violent, with life-altering injuries possible on every snap at every level.

Beyond that, it’s clear that the NFL does not trust the majority of its owners to an almost astonishing degree. The level of hand-holding they felt necessary after the Deshaun Watson signing is incredible, a move that any football fan could tell was an obvious mistake. The league’s ownership group comprises America’s wealthiest entrepreneurs, successful businessmen, and scions of some of the country’s most prominent families; surely they can be trusted to make their own decisions?

This entire situation reveals one fundamental truth: American sports teams have now become public institutions that have long outgrown the benefits of private ownership. Local, city, and state taxes already bear most of the burden of stadium construction. Owners rarely make on-field decisions, and the ones they do make in front offices and coaching staffs have some of the highest turnover rates in any American industry.

Owners in all sports have always conspired with each other to keep player salaries down. While initially, in the 19th and 20th centuries, they were typically local business owners or community leaders, they are now billionaires and giant corporations with little to no real ties or obligation to the cities and fans they represent.

Teams across North America are relocating more than ever before. The A’s current official name is “Athletics”. That’s it. No city, no state, no location - just “Athletics.” To make matters even more ridiculous, even though the Oklahoma City Thunder just won an NBA championship, they still look and feel like an NBA 2K creation. At the same time, an incredible American basketball community in Seattle goes without a professional team.

Alternatives To The American Model Of Sports Ownership

No matter what any independent arbitrator says, it’s obvious that NFL and other American sports owners collude and have always done so. There are just too many instances to point out, from recent NFL examples like Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid to MLB’s numerous instances of “gentleman agreements” among owners that affected players from Sandy Koufax to Barry Bonds.

Owners are becoming untrustworthy and undeserving of their local communities’ trust, but what is the alternative? If we look to the rest of the world, especially Europe, the German Bundesliga, among others, boasts many top clubs with an intriguing ownership structure. Some operate with fans as individual shareholders, who directly determine who will represent their team, either as president or on a board of governors. The benefits of such a system are obvious, as it gives fans direct control over their favorite teams.

This model, almost a turbocharged version of the Green Bay Packers’ ownership arrangement, would give fans a genuine sense of agency in the teams they follow, reigniting local interest in flagging teams across North America. Regional rivalries would take on a new sense of importance for fans. Shares or voting interests could be passed down from generation to generation, helping sports leagues revive the flagging interest in televised sports among young Americans.

End Of My NFL Collusion Rant

My solution is quite drastic, and if I’m being honest, has little likelihood of being implemented anytime soon. I certainly don’t expect the city of Dallas to nationalize the Mavericks anytime soon. Still, under this model, there is no way a general manager who answers to a fan-elected president is trading Luka Doncic. That being said, the sooner fans start having conversations about issues like these, the closer we may get to a better solution.

As North American sports leagues look to expand, not only on this continent but possibly to Europe and Asia, we could see beloved franchises move to cities like London and Tokyo. The events that have transpired in Oakland’s sports community over the past few years are incredibly tragic. The Golden State Warriors moved across the bridge to San Francisco, the Oakland Raiders now play in Las Vegas, and the Oakland A’s will join them in a few seasons after a short stop in Sacramento. We may soon see more mid-sized American cities headed for a similar fate.

The issue will need to be addressed sooner or later. I’d rather root for the San Diego Chargers than the Microsoft Clippers. If nothing is done, the corporatization of American sports will eventually prevent the product from luring new fans while alienating their current supporters.

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