Stadiums in Spain were bathed in darkness last weekend as a players’ strike postponed the opening round of La Liga matches. It is reflective of a global trend of industrial action in sport, but will we see it come to Australia?
Spain’s Primera and Segunda divisions ground to a halt last Friday, as the players’ union followed through on their threat to strike over more than €50m in unpaid wages.
It is unlikely the situation will be resolved before this weekend’s round of matches and, for one of the biggest domestic competitions in football, must be concerning for all involved.
Save for those who ply their trade at Camp Nou or the Bernabeu, perhaps.
The unfathomable risk of no football is not limited to Spain either, with the Italian FA yesterday refusing to come to the party and sign an agreement over players’ rights.
Italian Players’ Union president Damiano Tommasi emphatically stated matches would not be played if the Italian FA did not sign the new collective bargaining agreement.
But when it comes to big-time industrial action, European football is small fry in comparison to the behemoth that is American sports.
Both the NFL and NBA have felt the ramifications of lockouts in 2011, with the upcoming 2011/12 NBA looking increasingly unlikely to even take place.
The four-month long NFL strike was resolved in late July, allowing the NFL preseason to begin as scheduled, but not before hundreds of millions of dollars were racked up in legal fees on both sides.
For the NBA, the scenario is far more horrific.
There is next to no chance of the season commencing in October as scheduled, with a shortened season beginning in the new year appearing the most desirable outcome.
Players have seen the writing on the wall, and have begun to seek alternative forms of employment, with Nets star Deron Williams already signing with Turkish club Besiktas, and many, including Kobe Bryant, could follow his lead to Europe.
Potential losses incurred from the NBA lockout could be in the billions, which would spell disaster for the owners of small franchises in a volatile US economy.
The popular view held here in Australia is that industrial action simply will not be allowed to occur, as we cling to long-standing values of tradition, loyalty and the ‘fair go’ mentality in the face of the ever-increasing demands of big business.
Are we really that naïve?
After negotiating a five-year $1.25bn TV rights deal earlier in the year, the AFL seems the most likely to be the first sport to fall victim to major industrial action.
Only hours after the rights deal was announced in April, high profile footballers such as Adam Goodes were already calling for a larger slice of the pie.
Goodes’ ill-timed demands were rightfully criticised by all and sundry, but AFL Players’ Association boss Matt Finnis has tactfully picked up the slack since then, and the AFLPA met in June, with nearly 700 players turning up to canvass possible actions to increase their share of AFL revenue.
Standing ominously in the opposite corner is AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou, a seasoned campaigner who will be a worthy foe in the players’ battle for dollars.
Demetriou has, in no uncertain terms, made his feelings clear on the issue, and responded to Goodes’ initial comments in derisive fashion, labelling the AFLPA “lazy”.
It is worthwhile noting that following the AFLPA meeting in June, Finnis did explicitly rule out any form of strike in the 2012 season.
But do they really have that option?
Industrial action is unquestionable the most effective bargaining chip the AFLPA have.
It is clear that the AFL will not budge. If the players’ association are committed in their quest for better conditions and genuinely want to stand up for the AFL, it is hard to see any other options.
Similar action in the NRL seems less likely, although the expiration of a one-year extension to the 2007-10 collective bargaining agreement looms at the end of the current 2011 season.
The NRL also have a TV rights deal expected to be announced soon, which is also tipped to nudge the $1bn mark.
As Australian sports and their associated revenues continue to grow, it seems only a matter of time before this ticking time bomb explodes.
While the smiles of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and NFLPA head DeMaurice Smith indicate that industrial action can actually reach a viable outcome for both sides (and in the NFL, it did), stakeholders here in Australia must adopt a far more cautious approach.
In a highly competitive sporting landscape, and with many clubs struggling to keep their head above water financially, a prolonged lockout could inflict damage that would be hard to recover from.
The relationship between sport and big business is far more tenuous here, and players’ associations who strive to increase their revenue are walking a tightrope if they choose to shut down for dollars.
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