[Wine] NFL labor dispute

[ofnwt11]

A reader, Richard Fox of Roslyn, N.Y., says the news media have been ignoring the people who would be most harmed by an NFL (http://www.centurywiki.com) work stoppage.

He was responding to a post by John Branch (http://www.moncleroutletsonline.com)on the Sports Fans Coalition (http://www.moncleroutletsonline.com), a nonprofit group that is requesting that its representatives be present at N.F.L. labor negotiating sessions.

Here’s his comment:

    Finally, albeit slight, slight attention is shifting to the most important people caught up in this maelstrom, the people and industries that would be most impacted by this lockout/strike, labor dispute and battle of greed. It is not the owners, it is not the networks, and to a major degree it is not the players and lastly not the fans.

    It is the workers in the stadiums, it is the workers in the hotels the teams stay at on the road, it is the communities that count on the increased revenue from teams that have training camps in their communities. It is the bars and restaurants where fans go to watch the games and count on the tips to make their living. I am sure I am leaving out other segments of the people most impacted by this labor dispute — a whole segment of “America’s game” that is being ignored, as the Big Boys stare each other down.

    While my sentiments between the owners and players lies with the players, my bigger concern is for those people who are ancillary to the game, like the ones I previously mentioned, for the true economic impact will hit them the hardest. I have read at least 500 articles about this topic and not one has focused on those individuals.

    So please spare me about the poor fans and their suffering.

    Spare me about the poor suffering of the N.F.L. teams and the commissioner.

    If the commissioner and the president of the N.F.L.P.A. are willing to forgo their out-of-touch salaries and compensation and show they REALLY care, do not lay off the small salaried office workers in each organization and establish a fund for the so-called little people whose livelihood depends on hourly wages they earn to support their families.

    I would like The New York Times and other members of the Fourth Estate to focus on the real economics of the N.F.L. I don’t care what the cost of missing games causes the N.F.L., I care about the people who make the game work behind the scenes and the IMPACT on them. But I guess the story is not sexy enough, for it is not about the Jerry Joneses, it is about the common men and women who really matter and will be hurt by this dispute. 
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