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37 minutes ago, thezerawkid said:

A large recurrence of cases was expected in the fall. And, that was BEFORE all of the protests. When looking through the lens that was telling us social distancing is the closest thing to a sure thing to keep Covid from spreading excessively, watching numbers these next couple weeks might be telling.

Frankly, the predictions have been all over the place and woefully inaccurate.  We’ll see in August. 
 

The thoroughbred racing industry has been able to keep the virus at bay with strict guidelines including testing, temperature checks, cleaning, and social distancing.  It will be interesting if pro athletes will be as willing to put up with these kind of guidelines like backstretch workers.   

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The English Premiere League has set their resumption (with no fans) for 6-17. This has come after a basic 3-week total quarantine for all players/staff. The just released their findings that they have had one positive test during that time. 
 

Before, they were getting multiple positive tests from players—many of whom were not following team protocols, and going to parties...having GF’s over, etc. 

 

Saying this, because the NFL is not that regimented. Great that horse racing can pull it off, and world soccer maybe can do it...but the latter is just trying to get the last games in to conclude a season. Very doubtful the everyday NFL player is going to put himself in a box for 3 weeks—especially those with wife/kids. 
 

On top of it, this doesn’t include simply the training camp period...it would have to include the season. 

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The salary cap each year is based on the revenue the NFL receives the previous season.  The salary cap has been going up annually as the league makes more money every year.  It will be interesting to see how each possible 2020 season scenario could impact league revenue.  I have seen some articles looking at potential financial losses with no fan or decreased fan attendance, cancelled games, loss of TV revenue  or any other loss of revenue stream could lower the 2021 salary cap $40-60 million dollars and its ramifications.  Plus it could take several years for the cap to get back to where it is today.

 

If there is a significant drop in salary cap one would expect many higher salaried vets cut next year.   What happens to players like AJ Green or Joe Mixon and their extensions?  What is their  (or any other player) future value under a $150 million salary cap instead of a $200 million cap?   The NFL has  high dollar veteran QB contracts with many paying out a lot of guaranteed money on still the books for a while.  Those salaries eat up around 15-20% of each teams salary cap now.  Next year those salaries could be eating up 30% of a teams cap.  Recently teams with QBs playing under rookie contracts have had some financial advantage with the salary cap.  The Bengals will have that same advantage for a few years.

 

   

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A look at salary cap implications (and overall revenue)

 

https://sportsnaut.com/2020/06/report-nfl-owners-watching-their-spending-due-to-fears-of-revenue-hit-from-2020-season/

 

NFL’s revenue hit won’t seriously impact future salary caps

While the NFL anticipates a dip in the 2021 salary cap due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many around the league don’t believe it will have long-term ramifications.

According to ESPN, NFL teams expect this to be a one-year blip that will just impact the 2021 NFL season. The league will have the option to implement a flat cap, which would spread out the hit from this season across the new collective bargaining agreement.
 

(and a blurb as to player extensions and signing of current draft picks):

 

NFL teams limiting their spending this summer

NFL stars like Dak Prescott, Patrick Mahomes, Jamal Adams and George Kittle are all heading into the summer hoping to sign record-breaking contract extensions this offseason. Unfortunately, for many of them, some of those contract extensionsmight be on hold.

According to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, NFL owners have already started to watch their spending this summer out of concern with a looming revenue hit. Fears of a second wave for the coronavirus, which could devastate the 2020 NFL season, have many around the league concerned.
 

The NFL would stand to lose billions in revenue if a full 2020 schedule is played without fans in attendance. Even if partial capacity is allowed at stadiums across the country, it could still put the league at risk of shaving upwards of $10 billion off the salary cap, which could dip from $198.2 million this season to far below it next year.


As a result, NFL teams are taking their time signing their picks form the 2020 NFL Draft to their rookie deals. While a few players, including Tua Tagovailoa, only two of the 32 first-round picks have signed. At this time last year, per ESPN, 20 of the first-round selections from the 2019 NFL Draft had signed.

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3 hours ago, Le Tigre said:

A look at salary cap implications (and overall revenue)

 

https://sportsnaut.com/2020/06/report-nfl-owners-watching-their-spending-due-to-fears-of-revenue-hit-from-2020-season/

 

NFL’s revenue hit won’t seriously impact future salary caps

While the NFL anticipates a dip in the 2021 salary cap due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many around the league don’t believe it will have long-term ramifications.

According to ESPN, NFL teams expect this to be a one-year blip that will just impact the 2021 NFL season. The league will have the option to implement a flat cap, which would spread out the hit from this season across the new collective bargaining agreement.
 

(and a blurb as to player extensions and signing of current draft picks):

 

NFL teams limiting their spending this summer

NFL stars like Dak Prescott, Patrick Mahomes, Jamal Adams and George Kittle are all heading into the summer hoping to sign record-breaking contract extensions this offseason. Unfortunately, for many of them, some of those contract extensionsmight be on hold.

According to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, NFL owners have already started to watch their spending this summer out of concern with a looming revenue hit. Fears of a second wave for the coronavirus, which could devastate the 2020 NFL season, have many around the league concerned.
 

The NFL would stand to lose billions in revenue if a full 2020 schedule is played without fans in attendance. Even if partial capacity is allowed at stadiums across the country, it could still put the league at risk of shaving upwards of $10 billion off the salary cap, which could dip from $198.2 million this season to far below it next year.


As a result, NFL teams are taking their time signing their picks form the 2020 NFL Draft to their rookie deals. While a few players, including Tua Tagovailoa, only two of the 32 first-round picks have signed. At this time last year, per ESPN, 20 of the first-round selections from the 2019 NFL Draft had signed.

Interesting article.  I had not heard anything about a flat cap being discussed.  But reading thru it and the links I got the impression the flat cap still has to negotiated with NFLPA.  I wonder which side has the leverage in those talks. 

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The union should have a lot of sway over any alterations to the present CBA, or new one going forward. AFAIK--as you observed--they have had few if any discussions with the league as to salary structures, and none insofar as certifying player participation in 2020 (and the league hasn't set anything out of any substance with which to discuss). 

 

Every day changes, so stay tuned.

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3 hours ago, Le Tigre said:

Yeah, that is a situation where no one is going to win. That pro-rated salary thing is a non-starter, or should be. 

I am not following MLB that closely but was not the pro-rated salary concept tied to a pro-rated season in terms of games? If so, that makes the most sense

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5 hours ago, I_C_Deadpeople said:

I am not following MLB that closely but was not the pro-rated salary concept tied to a pro-rated season in terms of games? If so, that makes the most sense

Yes, it was.  The owners NOW want to talk revenue sharing.  Hahaha.  Why would the players do that?  They wouldn't share when times were good, but now that times aren't so good....

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Coronavirus prompts NFL teams to hold football training camps at home facilities

NFL orders teams to train at their respective facilities due to COVID-19

 

All 32 NFL teams have been told by Commissioner Roger Goodell to hold training camps at their home facilities this summer because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Most NFL teams stay at their training complexes year-round, but Dallas, Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Buffalo, Indianapolis, Carolina, Washington and the Los Angeles Rams are among those that stage portions of training camp elsewhere.

 

Goodell also ordered no joint practices for teams, something that had become increasingly popular in recent summers.

 

“We believe that each of these steps will enhance our ability to protect the health and safety of players and your football staffs and are consistent with a sound approach to risk management in the current environment,” Goodell said in the memo sent to teams.

 

The Cowboys and Stealers are scheduled for the Hall of Fame game in Canton, Ohio, on Aug. 6 and will be the first two teams to report in late July. Dallas usually trains in Oxnard, California, and Pittsburgh in nearby Latrobe, Pennsylvania.

The Cowboys have never held their entire preseason at home. The Stealers have trained at St. Vincent College in Latrobe for more than a half-century.

 

The league has canceled all in-person workouts at team facilities, which only in the past two weeks have begun opening on a limited basis. No coaches nor players other than those undergoing medical treatment and rehabilitation have been allowed in those facilities.

Soon, the NFL is hopeful of having club complexes fully open, but under strict medical guidelines including social distancing protocols.  :hmmm-min:

 

https://www.foxbusiness.com/sports/coronavirus-nfl-football-training-camps-home

 

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Some (possible) updates as to training camps: 

 

https://dknation.draftkings.com/nfl/2020/6/8/21283863/nfl-training-camp-start-date-2020-regular-season-coronavirus-covid-19-cba-players-owners-negotiation

 

Not sure if the 7-28 date to have a TC begin, is the latest it can begin without season start being delayed, or simply a milepost.

 

is getting more evident, however, that full team gatherings will not be before any TC

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On 6/5/2020 at 3:45 PM, UncleEarl said:

Yes, it was.  The owners NOW want to talk revenue sharing.  Hahaha.  Why would the players do that?  They wouldn't share when times were good, but now that times aren't so good....

Meh, both sides are dumb.   How the player's union let teams get away with  the crazy rules for earning a season of play and perpetual arbitration is beyond me.  The Sabermetrics  or Analytics all points to stringing along good field players to around 30 years of age then dumping them for dirt cheap rookies and save your money for pitching.    Mookie Betts started playing when he was 21.  He is a great player.  The Red Sox are on their last available arbitration contract with  after 7 years.     Why the union allowed this is stupid.   Oh, and since there is no minimum salary cap, teams can flat out tank and NOTHING can be done about.  

 

The owners not coming to some type of agreement to play this year would be the utter definition of DUMB.    Won't be any sympathy from anyone if this happens.  

 

The union should stop hiring former players everyone likes to negotiate their contracts.   Hire a tough lawyer with exceptional fiscal skills to negotiate something reasonable. 

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6 hours ago, SF2 said:

Meh, both sides are dumb.   How the player's union let teams get away with  the crazy rules for earning a season of play and perpetual arbitration is beyond me.  The Sabermetrics  or Analytics all points to stringing along good field players to around 30 years of age then dumping them for dirt cheap rookies and save your money for pitching.    Mookie Betts started playing when he was 21.  He is a great player.  The Red Sox are on their last available arbitration contract with  after 7 years.     Why the union allowed this is stupid.   Oh, and since there is no minimum salary cap, teams can flat out tank and NOTHING can be done about.  

 

The owners not coming to some type of agreement to play this year would be the utter definition of DUMB.    Won't be any sympathy from anyone if this happens.  

 

The union should stop hiring former players everyone likes to negotiate their contracts.   Hire a tough lawyer with exceptional fiscal skills to negotiate something reasonable. 

The Players Association is overly influenced by the big guns.  Players that make stupid money and more specifically, their agents.  The big deal is what they are all about preserving.  Every player thinks he's going to get one of those some day, so they buy in.  They all want the golden goose contract like Votto got.  Those contracts are over.   The one thing the agents/players association can count on is some team will be stupid enough to overpay the big names.  Philadelphia blinked and gave Harper an absolutely stupid deal.  Notice how Joey Votto was pumping Harper's tires when he didn't have a deal yet?  That's what they are about.  Until the players association cares about all the players they will be seen as greedy and stupid as the owners.

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12 hours ago, UncleEarl said:

The Players Association is overly influenced by the big guns.  Players that make stupid money and more specifically, their agents.  The big deal is what they are all about preserving.  Every player thinks he's going to get one of those some day, so they buy in.  They all want the golden goose contract like Votto got.  Those contracts are over.   The one thing the agents/players association can count on is some team will be stupid enough to overpay the big names.  Philadelphia blinked and gave Harper an absolutely stupid deal.  Notice how Joey Votto was pumping Harper's tires when he didn't have a deal yet?  That's what they are about.  Until the players association cares about all the players they will be seen as greedy and stupid as the owners.

And the problem is even the best younger players are getting screwed.  They are forced to sign 1 year arbitration deals hoping they can stay healthy for 3 season and FINALLY hit FA.  Sure, its hard to feel bad for a guy signing a 1 year $25 mil deal but he is one blows Achilles of one bad season away from never getting that big contract.   

 

And the owners are all afraid of crippling their team with a Chris Davis type deal which I can understand as well.   Even the Votto deal looks kinda bad in hindsight.   There has to be a middle ground.  

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They are still trying to get something established as to when:

 

N.F.L. Outlines Steps for Training Camp, but Timeline Unclear
The training camps were scheduled to start in late July.

 

The N.F.L. has outlined the steps teams must take before players can return to training facilities, the latest attempt by the league to return to business as usual in an off-season that has largely been conducted virtually.

 

Yet while the league claimed the protocols were created in cooperation with the N.F.L. Players Association, the union’s president, J.C. Tretter, told players on Twitter on Monday to “be wary of any updates or information about returning to work from the league or your team.” He invited players to contact him for “accurate updates as we push for the safest possible return to work.”

 

The lengthy memo was sent to team executives, general mangers, head coaches and trainers on Sunday. Executives and doctors from the league and the union have worked together during the coronavirus pandemic, but Tretter’s tweet suggested that the league may be pushing faster than the union to bring the players back.

 

A spokesman for the N.F.L. said the league and the union were in agreement on the protocols. The union did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

 

The memo included no date for when players could return. Training camps are, for now, scheduled to start in late July. But the league has said it will follow the guidelines that state and local authorities set for large gatherings and the opening of workplaces before giving teams the green light to invite players back. The league has also said that to maintain competitive balance, no team will be allowed to start training camp unless every team has been cleared to do so.

 

To prepare for training camps, the league said in the memo, teams must appoint an employee to oversee the return to work, which includes educating all employees on ways to reduce the risk of transmitting the coronavirus. The health protocols address access to team facilities; physical distancing inside locker rooms, weight rooms and other places; food and medical services; and cleaning. The memo also outlined procedures for screening employees for symptoms and instructions on what to do when a player or other employee tests positive for the virus.

 

“While these protocols have been carefully developed and are based on the most current information from leading experts, no set of protocols can eliminate the risk of contracting Covid-19, nor ensure that the disease itself will be mild,” the memo said.

 

In recent weeks, the league has let teams reopen their facilities to limited numbers of front office staff and coaches, who, unlike the players, are not represented by the players’ union. Coaches at more than half of the 32 N.F.L. teams did not return to their team facilities last week even though they were allowed to, according to The Associated Press.

 

Some coaches returned, including from the Kansas City Chiefs and the Green Bay Packers, but teams let coaches decide whether they wanted to continue working from home. In some cases, coaches were not yet in their team’s city.

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4 hours ago, SF2 said:

And the problem is even the best younger players are getting screwed.  They are forced to sign 1 year arbitration deals hoping they can stay healthy for 3 season and FINALLY hit FA.  Sure, its hard to feel bad for a guy signing a 1 year $25 mil deal but he is one blows Achilles of one bad season away from never getting that big contract.   

 

And the owners are all afraid of crippling their team with a Chris Davis type deal which I can understand as well.   Even the Votto deal looks kinda bad in hindsight.   There has to be a middle ground.  

The Votto deal is horrible.  He is getting paid for what he did in the past.  Many in baseball and hockey are coming to the realization they need to pay players younger so they don't get stuck with old guys that have huge salaries they no longer have the ability to live up to.  Even without that change guys in their late 20s aren't getting long term deals, nor should they.  The juice is mostly out of the game and few guys in their mid-30s play the game at an elite level.

 

Scooter Gennett is a prime example of a guy where an injury costs him millions. 

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NFL coronavirus: Teams required to reconfigure locker rooms, and more, before players can return in 2020
Big changes are coming to all 32 teams because of COVID-19

 

Taking one step closer to the NFL potentially beginning its 2020 regular season as scheduled, the league sent a memo to teams giving them permission to allow coaches back into their respective facility as early as June 5, as long as it was/is also permitted by local law.

Players, however, are still banned from returning until further notice, as league commissioner Roger Goodell and the NFLPA work to establish protocols that would help prevent the spread of COVID-19 prior to giving players the green light. To that end, the two sides released a memo on June 8 that outlines required procedures each team must put into place before players are allowed back, and they are extensive.

 

While there is still no decision on a formal date for when it'll happen, the memo details items that will be quite the undertaking for clubs. One of which focuses on social distancing practices, which is obviously a challenge when it comes to a contact sport like the NFL. The most notable of the league's new physical distancing guidelines involves an overhaul of each team's locker room setup, which is easier said-than-done, but required, nonetheless. 

 

Here's the excerpt pertaining to those changes, which also itemizes how workouts and meetings are to be conducted:

a. Clubs must establish physical distancing protocols to allow players and/or staff to maintain six fee of distance from one another when inside the facility.

 

b. Clubs are required to promote physical distancing by rearranging or removing furniture and/or using distance marker to assure spacing (e.g., workstations, meeting rooms), modifying the use of common areas, displaying signs that discourage hand shaking or other contact, and using cones or tape to establish a one-way traffic in hallways and common corridors where possible.

 

c. Clubs must reconfigure locker rooms to permit six feet of space between each player (by using every other locker or adding additional lockers) where possible. Each player must have individual space designated to store his belongings, without commingling, if locker space is unavailable.

 

d. Strength and conditioning workouts must be limited to small groups (no more than 15) of scheduled players to allow for physical distancing. The athletic training staff must require individual, staggered player appointments instead of setting a single time for large groups to arrive. Clubs must stagger other player appointments, meetings and workouts at the facility in order to permit physical distancing.

 

e. Meetings must be conducted virtually to the extent possible. If in-person meetings are necessary, Clubs must make efforts to hold in-person meetings outdoors with participants sitting apart from one another and wearing masks. In-person meetings that do not permit physical distancing are prohibited. Meetings with more than twenty individuals must be conducted virtually, unless physical distancing practices can be adhered to. Communal use of materials, devices, or supplies during meetings ins prohibited. Any administrative, playbook, and advanced work should be conducted on a personal electronic device.

 

Additionally noted in the multi-page memo is a requirement for players to wear masks "except when interfering with 'athletic activities'", as they are guided around their facility by cones and signs that are set up to force one-way traffic in communal areas. 

 

The memo falls short of identifying the frequency in which players and staff will be tested for coronavirus -- indication talks are still ongoing and players may still be weeks away from being allowed to physically get back to working with coaches. Although necessary, the new COVID-19 policies create an interesting set of questions for each team. Considering some locker rooms are "smaller" than others, there's inherent bewilderment as to how clubs will create the required social distancing in a situation wherein 90 players are to report, prior to final roster cutdowns in late August the reduce the headcount to 55. 

 

This, among many other things, will be something every team has to figure out -- and quickly -- if the goal is to have training camp begin on-time. As it stands, there's little hope everything can be ironed out in time for a June minicamp, but that's yet to be officially ruled out.

 

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-coronavirus-teams-required-to-reconfigure-locker-rooms-and-more-before-players-can-return-in-2020/

 

 

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59 minutes ago, SF2 said:

Went to a few bars last night with the wife, social distancing is not being paid attention to anymore.   No masks either except employees. 

You guys have bars open?  Only restaurants here, but noticed the same.  While this is a generalization, the under 25 crowd could give a shit. 

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