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What Does NFL Lockout Mean to South Florida?

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In asking for tax dollars to fund a $225 million stadium renovation, the Miami Dolphins are pitching their home field as an economic engine responsible for 10,000 jobs and some $400 million a year in spending, although most of that money goes in the organizations pocket in all likelihood.  The gall these people have for requesting more money from the publc is truly unbelievable.   What does this mean to South Florida?  Absolutley nothing because nobody here cares or can even afford to go to a game even if they did.

But as the team lobbies the public and lawmakers for the public dollars, the Dolphins and its partners in the National Football League appear ready this week to idle Sun Life Stadium and the country's other 30 pro football venues in a standoff with players over a contract dispute.

Though the possibility of NFL owners imposing a "lockout'' against players is rattling football fans across the country as a Thursday contract expiration approaches, the timing carries special complications for the Dolphins.

The team is in the midst of a public and political effort to pass a state bill allowing Broward and Miami-Dade to raise hotel taxes to partially enclose the stadium and add high-tech lighting and 3,000 seats near the field. Florida's legislative session begins March 8 and ends two months later, meaning lawmakers could be considering the Dolphins bill in the midst of a season shutdown imposed by NFL owners, including the Dolphins' Stephen Ross.

For sure, the economic impacts of an NFL lockout are merely a hypothetical concern. Negotiators for players and the league plan to resume talks with a federal mediator on Tuesday. If no deal is reached, the union could opt to decertify and ask a judge to block the owners from "locking" them out of their jobs - a legal option not available to unions themselves. Even if a lockout does occur, there are six months before the season begins.

Still, preparations are under way for shutting down professional football. The New York Jets say they plan to put their administrative staff on unpaid furloughs to make up for lost revenue. Representatives for coaches and assistant coaches are talking about lockout clauses in their contracts, which give owners the right to cut their salaries in the event of a lockout. Super Bowl organizers in Indianapolis, where the 2012 championship is scheduled, say they're holding two weekends in February in case a work stoppage delays the end of the season.

In pushing for the stadium bill, the Dolphins have been touting Sun Life Stadium as an economic engine worth the investment. Although I can't see why anyone would want to invest in this place. The name of the stadium has changed repeatedly, the Robbies are out of the picture completely now, the seats are continuously empty, the price of admission and parking is ridiculous, it rains constantly, players have to perform on a dirt infield because of baseball, they haven't had a decent quarterback since Marino, and most draft picks have been a bust.  Bring back the Joe Robbie's family.  They ran the organization the right way.  I haven't seen anyone gain financially from this stadium.  The neighborhood around it is still a shambles.  High crime is rampant there as well.  Put up a domed stadium and then we can talk.

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Morris Massre
https://about.me/mmassre
 

 

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