Graduation Year
2019
Date of Submission
12-2018
Document Type
Open Access Senior Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE)
Reader 1
David Bjerk
Rights Information
©2018 Andrew J Friedlander
OCLC Record Number
1089151885
Abstract
This thesis examines the impacts of four major negotiating elements in the 2011 NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement. This first entails considering the financial impacts of the Collective Bargaining Agreement through adjustments to the salary cap and changes in the rookie pay scale in conjunction with the increase of the veteran minimum salary. Veteran players sought to improve their earnings potential through the creation of the rookie pay scale and increases in the veteran minimum salary, but research has shown that these policies may not have actually accomplished the goal. Next, I inspect the changes in preseason training rules, which were intended to keep players safer and fresher during the offseason. This also may not have had the anticipated result, since the incidences of players with conditioning related injuries has increased since the implementation of the new rules. Finally, the impact of increased punitive powers for Commissioner Goodell on the NFL presents one of the most interesting debates for the upcoming negotiations. While players strongly dislike Goodell’s level of influence over league discipline, they must be willing to sacrifice something significant in the next round of negotiations to initiate change. After careful consideration, it is evident that the players were the worst off from the 2011 Collective Bargaining negotiations because they were unable to accurately anticipate the impacts of their new policies.
Recommended Citation
Friedlander, Andrew, "The 2011 NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement: Intentions vs. Incentives" (2019). CMC Senior Theses. 2099.
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/2099
