The NFL Thread 2012: Baltimore Ravens win Super Bowl XLVII

[noname2200]

RolStoppable said:

noname2200 said:

Regarding the refs, I'm not sure I side with them entirely on this one. They're already getting decent salaries for working just one day a week,twenty weeks a year. What justifies giving them more money, exactly? I understand the players wanting a bigger slice of the pie, but the refs aren't putting their lives on the line each play.  And if the only rationale is "because the NFL has the money," then shouldn't every other NFL employee, down to the folks who hawk peanuts, also get a comparable raise?

Other NFL employees can be easily replaced, that's probably the difference. But if the replacement referees are awful (and people say they are), then the NFL has not much of a choice and will have to pay. It always depends on how much power you hold.

I doubt the NFL sees any particular set of refs as an essential part of the game. The replacements are bad because they're not accustomed to refereeing players at this level: they were bussed in with little notice from lower leagues. Time and experience will fix that, just as it did with the regular refs. And while there'll probably be more blown calls, there was already plenty of complaints regarding the regular referees.

Unless the replacements affect the NFL's bottom line (and I don't think they will), I don't see how the refs have much bargaining power. The season's about to start, and the NFL doesn't show any sign of blinking. What does that tell you about the refs' negotiating position?