Disconnect betweern players, owners and fans could kill NFL

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - By the time Brett Favre is finished with the first quarter Sunday night against the Green Bay Packers, the Minnesota Vikings quarterback will have made been paid more than 10 times what Chase Letourneau makes in an entire year.

Letourneau, a 25-year-old delivery driver for a local pizzeria, estimates he makes $20,000-$24,000 a year, depending on tips. Favre is making about $1 million per game to play for the Vikings in 2010.

It's that kind of disconnect - between star player, wealthy owner and blue-collar fan - that is turning into a delicate side issue that threatens the popularity of the league as its players and owners publicly bicker about the collective bargaining agreement.

The way Letourneau sees it, it's a battle pitting millionaires against billionaires who inhabit a world light years away from the one Letourneau lives and works in.

"It kind of seems like maybe the players get paid enough as it is," said Letourneau, wearing a purple No. 4 Favre jersey at a recent NFLPA event held for fans in St. Paul. "They probably don't need to get paid too much more. I understand that it is a risky business out there. But I, personally, take risks every day at my job, too, and I don't make a fraction of what they make."

With the national unemployment rate approaching 10 percent, an ugly fight between players and owners over billions in NFL revenue doesn't appear to be sitting well with the everyday fans who have made professional football the unquestioned king of all American sports.

The players union recognizes that, and has organized a series of "tailgate" events in NFL cities across the country to directly relay its message to the fans.

In St. Paul, NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith and several current and former players gathered at the Eagle Street Bar and Grille to host a little party for the fans, who were given food and goodies, and a pitch from the players to get behind their cause.

"We're out here taking pictures with the fans. You see us every day," Vikings defensive end Ray Edwards said. "I don't think you see too many owners out here taking pictures with the fans and having fun and enjoying fans. Without them, we wouldn't love the game we play as much. They definitely keep us going. They give us home-field advantage and we love them more than anything."

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said, "Communicating with our fans is something we do in many different ways on a regular basis. We want to keep our fans informed about all issues that interest them."

"We know the fans are interested in the labor situation, but a new collective bargaining agreement has to be reached through negotiations at the bargaining table," Aiello added. "We want an agreement as soon as possible that is good for the players, the teams, the game, and the fans."

Commissioner Roger Goodell conducted a live chat with fans on Thursday on NFL.com and faced several combative questions about the labor situation.

One asked, "How can you justify allowing the labor disagreement to go on. It is nothing but bunch of millionairs (sic) crying to a bunch of billionairs (sic). What about the average fan, that spend alot of money to keep the billionairs (sic) and millionairs (sic) in their money? Do you really think it is good for football to allow the owners to lock out the players and not have football?"

To which Goodell replied: "It's not up to me to justify allowing a labor disagreement. Our players and clubs must reach an agreement that works for both parties. Work stoppage is not good for anyone, including the fans. I will work night and day to ensure we have a fair agreement that works for all sooner than later."

Despite their exorbitant salaries, flashy cars and shiny jewelry, NFL players are trying their best to tell their regular fans they are just like them.

A representative from the local AFL/CIO attended the event in St. Paul, echoing the union motto, "If you injure one of us, you injure all of us."

"We're going to stand as one with our fans," Smith told those gathered in St. Paul. "We're going to stand as one with the people who get their hands dirty and work to bring this game to every fan in America. We believe this lockout is not good for America. We know it's a bad thing for people who dig football as much as I do."

The NFLPA also argues that a lockout would cost NFL cities $150 million in lost jobs and revenue.

"Concession workers. Food preparers. Security. Trade workers. Right off the bat, there will be thousands that depend on that work," said Minnesota AFL/CIO president Shar Knutson. "But it's also important to remember beyond that - hotels, restaurants and businesses that cater to game folks, they also lose."

The back-and-forth rhetoric has been rancorous at times, and may only get more heated as the possibility of a lockout nears.

In a sport that has an average ticket price of more than $76 and signing bonuses that routinely reach eight figures, both the owners and players can have a difficult time relating to their blue-collar fan base, many of whom are struggling to make ends meet in this down economy.

"There are so many people that can't afford tickets and might be foreclosing on their house," said Adam Boyadjis, a 28-year-old account executive from Minneapolis. "Who cares?"

Boyadjis pointed to the baseball strike in 1994-95 as a cautionary tale, saying that it took years for fans to warm to the game again after the feud canceled the 1994 World Series.

"The NFL should take some cues from baseball and learn from that mistake," Boyadjis said.

Maybe that is already happening.

The NFLPA wants to visit every NFL city in an effort to get fans on the players' side. The strategy seemed to work with 25-year-old Mark Jacobson of Crystal.

"I like it better than the first game of the season where everyone came out and put their fingers up," Jacobson said, referring to the season opener when players from the Saints and Vikings held one finger in the air as a sign of unity. "I just want to watch football. I don't want to get embroiled in this when I'm trying to watch the game. If it's outside of the game, that's fine. It should be kept outside of the game."