The SBP Archives - Your less than frequent dose of SBP!

"You cannot come to an agreement with a group that doesn't want to negotiate. The players' union was given enough time to accept the proposal and meet the deadline."

- Toronto Rock President Brad Watters

The news that the National Lacrosse League cancelled the 2007/08 season after the owners imposed a midnight deadline to accept their proposal caught my eye with Ottawa's past involvement with the league. I thought it was unfortunate the Ottawa Rebel didn't survive here despite setting attendance records opening night (sounds a bit like the Ottawa Lynx, doesn't it?). They never won too many games, but it was a cheap night out and I thought the action was decent. Even the occasional fight broke out and no one got thrown out of the league a la hockey. What more could you ask for?

In league where the average salary amounted to $15,000 a year, it's funny how the owners' still cry poor and claim they've made no money and are just coming close to "breaking even". What about that quote from Brad Watters above? Sounds like the owners weren't the ones that didn't feel like haggling: it was pretty much take our deal or you're done.

It's hard to feel bad for the owners when they pay millions of dollars for their franchises and claim they can't meet costs. Why did you get involved in the first place? If it's nothing but a money pit, why not just invest in real estate?

Anyway, I don't know enough to figure out who's right or wrong, but once again, it's the fans that are screwed and forgotten. Doesn't this all sound familiar to NHL fans?