Question of the day: Which major sport is most likely to have a work stoppage that will delay or cancel the season?
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Reporters from around Tribune Co. tackle the question of the day, then you get a chance to chime in and tell them why they’re wrong. Please check back throughout the day for updates.
Bill Kline, The Morning Call
The NBA and its players have salary cap and player revenue issues; however, don’t expect a work stoppage because Commissioner David Stern has the magic touch.
But as sure as another sack of Jay Cutler, you can bet there will be no NFL next September. Owners want an 18-game schedule and a bigger cut of the revenue. Also hanging out there like an uncovered wide receiver is the idea of a rookie wage scale.
The players not only won’t accept a pay cut, they’ll want even more money if the league goes to 18 games. Their union has advised players to start saving money in case of a work stoppage, and the homepage of the union website has a “Lockout Watch” that ticks down the time until the collective bargaining agreement expires after the NFL playoffs.
It’s already third-and-long for the NFL, and getting one side to budge will be harder than motivating Albert Haynesworth.
[Updated at 12:28:
Sarah Talalay, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
The coming months will bring rhetoric aplenty from leagues and players, but I don’t think any sport will have a delay or shutdown. The NFL, however, is most likely. Major League Baseball doesn’t want to return to labor strife but will struggle to broker a players contract after leaked financial records show teams such as the Marlins and Pirates made a profit. The NBA is on the brink of its most exciting season in years: star-studded rosters from Miami to Los Angeles and at least 20 teams selling more than 1,000 new season tickets. It can’t afford to damage that momentum. NFL owners and their $8-billion industry can afford a stoppage. Record TV ratings this season mean football could return after a season off without skipping a beat.]