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Boycotting the NFL draft in NYC only way fans can send a lockout message

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The NFL and FKA-NFLPA will resume mediated negotiations on Thursday and for the first time in a month there’s a small glimmer of hope that maybe the lockout won’t drag into the summer.

Amidst reports this morning that traffic for NFL.com and interest in the draft is down this year among the non-diehards (or die-easy’s) it’s clear that some fans are losing interest, whether it’s intentional or not.

But for the most part, we the fans are left to sit on the sideline like we usually do and not-so-patiently await an agreement. Other than refusing to buy anything NFL related, there really isn’t much we can do.

However I believe the greatest statement we the fans can make is by boycotting the draft in New York City. The NFL clearly loves the raucous atmosphere that the fans create in Radio City Music Hall every April, and it plays a huge part in making the draft a “primetime” event.

Even Commissioner Goodell always gives the fans a shout out when he kicks off the draft ceremony, saying something to the effect of “alright NFL fans this is the moment you’ve all been waiting for”.

But imagine for a second an empty, silent Radio City as the Commish takes the podium. The upper rafters devoid of all the passionate fans from all thirty two teams. No cheers. No boos from Jets fans. Just a collection of empty seats as team officials scramble on the main floor below.

Now I know that attending the draft is a tradition for many NFL fans. Draft weekend used to be one of my most favorite traditions, but that didn’t stop the NFL from screwing it all up in the name of revenue. Far be it from me to suggest that people ruin their plans just to send a message.

So to those fans who still plan to attend despite the current state of affairs in the NFL, I’d suggest simply being silent for the first overall pick. Sit there in silence when the Commish takes the podium and let Cam Newton’s marriage to the Carolina Panthers be one that takes place to a soundtrack of dead quiet.

There’s really no better way to send a message to not only the NFL, but to every single person who tunes in on TV. The fans are no longer cheering.

Sports Illustrated: Fan poll on the lockout

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In this week’s Sports Illustrated they polled NFL fans to find their opinions on the current labor dispute. Here are some interesting numbers:

Nearly half of fans (44%) say they would have less future interest in the NFL after a delayed or canceled season.

In my opinion the NFL is highly underrating the effect that any missed games would have for their fan base. They just assume that the fans will come back in full force as soon as the game comes back.

But let me use the NHL lockout of 2004 as an example. I was as big of a hockey fan as anyone prior to that lockout, but afterwards I totally lost track of the sport. And it wasn’t even on purpose really. I just lost interest, found other things to do, and developed an insane obsession for football.

The owners and players should really be aware that they’re going to lose fans. They probably already have.

With a disrupted NFL season, NCAA football would gain prominence getting more attention from 57.3 percent of NFL fans.

Go Cal Bears! Yeah I have done like zero Bears research since declaring my fanship for them last week. I’m trying people, but it’s not easy to force yourself into being a fan of a random team that you have no true connection to…

Fans would also spend more time surfing the internet (56.1%), with significant others (45.1%), doing yard work chores (43.6%), playing video games (33.5%) and at church (13%). 

So it looks like God would have to be on the lockout’s side? Family members too, especially wives who want to see the front yard get mulched.

What would fans miss most if the season is disrupted? 41.8 percent of fans said watching with friends and family and 40.7 percent said following a team. Only 5.2 percent of fans said fantasy football is what they’ll most miss and only 1.3 percent said betting on games.

I found this kind of interesting because I’ve often said that the pregame/buildup to watching football is the best part. Especially when your team loses. But it looks like most fans tend to be on that side of the fence, just a little more than the actual following of the team. If you asked me I’d probably break about 51% for the experience that goes with watching games, 49% for actually following the team. I don’t give a crap about fantasy football or gambling.

NFP/Fortenbaugh: Time for fans to go on strike

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NFP/Fortenbaugh: Time for fans to go on strike

As the Players Union weighs the final “split the difference” offer from management we give you this little article from the National Football Post. It essentially says that the players and management both know the fans will be back whenever they get their crap together and that fans should take a stand.

If the players decertify and then this whole battle enters legal hell we’ll have to think long and hard about how it will effect operations here at the Ministry of PatsPropaganda.

Bill Simmons: Greed is good in NFL labor talks

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Must read alert!!! I know I give Simmons a hard time because he has to pretend like he knows as much about football as he does about basketball, but this article is an outstanding read. If you want have the NFL CBA negotiations boiled down into the simplest form, this is the place.

It’s hard to read this and not find yourself even more on the side of the players. The practices of the NFL and the owners are sadly much like many businesses are run today. Without any concern for the people, the environment, or anything else that is not the bottom line. 

The ironic part is that it will be this greed that eventually knocks the NFL off it’s lofty pedestal. It might not be this time with the CBA, but whenever you have an organization that has been so committed to “growth” as Roger Goodell’s NFL has been it will inevitably hit a ceiling at some point. Especially when this growth is being manufactured at the expense of the players and fans who made it what it was.

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NFL/NFLPA agree to extend the current CBA 24 more hours… so they can work on extending it ever further. Whole lotta extending going on…

Please mean that there is some hope…

https://www.patspropaganda.com/nflnflpa-agree-to-extend-the-current-cba-24-more/

NFL Lockout Thoughts… and should fans be included in negotiations?

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It’s been getting harder and harder to legitimately talk about the 2011 NFL season as we get closer and closer to the expiration of the current CBA. Sure, we’ve buried ourselves in draft research, and that will be a crutch until early May. 

But if there’s a lockout, the selection of Mr. Irrelevant will be a depressing final gasp of the NFL as we know it. So as we all wait for the union and players association to come forward with a real actual announcement there are just a few things we’d like to touch on.

First, I recommend you read Andrew Brandt’s article here as to what the possible outcomes for Friday could be. I’m most optimistic about an extension, that seems most plausible at this point. 

Second, I’ve been getting quite a few emails from various fan organizations like SportsFans.org who would like to have the fans at least included as observers of the negotiations. They’ve even been featured in major news outlets like the New York Times. 

We also had a group named Block the Lockout presenting 150,000 signatures to owners today.

Unlike a lot of fans I actually make a little money off the NFL. Make that a VERY little, but still, it’s something. And I feel confident saying that I stand to lose as much as any other NFL fan in the event of a lockout, but I don’t believe fans have any place at the bargaining table, even as observers.

What could fans possibly add to this process? It’s the responsibility for the NFL and the players to work out a deal that is amenable to both sides. All that really truly matters to fans is whether or not there’s a lockout. That’s the only issue that legitimately can concern them.

Sure, we can be against an 18 game season, but when it comes down to it are any fans really going to be that put out by having two more real games per year?

If you don’t like the deal that the NFL and players eventually come to then stop supporting the NFL. Cancel your season tickets. Don’t subscribe to DirecTV’s Sunday ticket. Don’t buy any more schwag. And yes, stop writing obsessive blogs that are solely focused on one team.

Yes, the fans made the NFL everything it has become, but to include them in negotiations is pointless. Why should billionaire owners, or players who risk life and limb listen to anything fans have to say? Because we watch them and spend money to support them? Guess what, there will always be fans, no matter how long a lockout, or how contentious the negotiations become. What could fans possibly have to add to the proceedings other than another complication that could stand in the way of a deal?

Anyway, that’s my two cents on that, and with that said I’ve been tossing around a lot of ideas as to what would become of PatsPropaganda during a prolonged lockout (which luckily seems far less likely with the ruling of Judge Doty last night).

But still, if we get to May and there’s a lockout, there won’t be much to say after we analyze all the Pats draft picks. So with that in mind we’ll just have to find other ways to stay entertained, and that might even include adopting a college football team. We’re still figuring it out, as are the NFL and players, but there would definitely be some new non-Pats content springing up on here.