A Work Stoppage for MLS? That’s a Terrible Idea for Everyone

Hey, you know how much we all love curling right now? Admit it, you love it. Well we love it because it’s in front of our faces for two-straight weeks. So while the average “Joe Six Pack” American doesn’t care about soccer on a regular basis, come this summer when the entire world is focused on South Africa for an entire month, you’re going to care. So with that in mind, let’s focus a little about what’s going on this week in Major League Soccer.
Per a report in SportsBusiness Daily’s Morning Buzz, it looks like the MLS could actually be facing a work stoppage. Yes, the twice-postponed deadline is coming up again – this Thursday in fact – and this time around there are no weather delays to blame for a lack of deal. Optimists still think the public outcry from the players is nothing more than posturing, and an 11th-hour deal will take place, but it doesn’t look good right now with one Major League roadblock in the way of a deal being consummated. Per SBD:⇥Representatives of MLS and the [MLS Players Union] met yesterday in DC, where the union is headquartered, both spokespersons confirmed in e-mails late last night. According to one source, there was a potential for a follow-up meeting today, but that meeting will not occur. Another source said, “There is no need for a meeting because there is no move being made by the league toward even limited free agency.”

It took the NBA years to recover from their lockout, and the NHL is seemingly still trying to break back into the national sports conversation after their work stoppage. A stoppage could be devastating to the future of MLS, especially in a World Cup year when everyone is focusing on soccer. And especially in a year when the U.S. men’s national team could – if everyone gets healthy – do some damage in the tournament.Steve Goff at WashingtonPost.com blog Soccer Insider fired a missile right at the head of Phil Anschutz, co-founder of MLS and kingpin of AEG, which ostensibly owns and operates the entire league.

⇥For the good of the game, we have bought into your slow-growth philosophy and endured the measly salary cap, which has resulted in bland imports to complement the select U.S. and foreign standouts and promising young American lads.⇥⇥I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if there is a work stoppage, the players will have the public relations advantage. All they will have to do is post copies of the master salary list on every lamp post. This ain’t the same as Major League Baseball’s labor problems, when fans took little sympathy for the middle reliever earning $4 million. We’re talking about fundamental living wages for a large percentage of the work force. Another concern is the inability of players to move within the league and the iron-clad grasp clubs have on players even after contracts expire.⇥

Both sides have done a good job keeping their negotiations out of the press, but if there is a strike – or please don’t say a lockout – there is no way MLS is going to win that PR battle. Some players have to take on extra jobs in the off-season just to survive. For every millionaire player in MLS – last year there were only four, and Donovan was not one of them – there are nearly a dozen making just over $20,000. There were over 100 players in MLS last year who earned under $40,000. Sure, it may not be such a terrible life to play soccer in America, but when you add in the fact that the money is not always guaranteed and that there’s no free agency for a player who gets cut to pick up with another team, it’s a pretty tough way to make a living.Let’s hope they get something done soon, because the closer we get to June 11, the more people in America will start to focus on soccer. The league, and its owners, are already starting to take their lumps. MLS can’t afford to not get this done.

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