NFL Lockout 2011

It has been two and a half months since the NFL lockout began. Leaving fans, players and owners anxious to see what the end result will be. For most, the NFL lockout has little to do with equality because greed seems to be the driving force. NFL players have been showing good face by committing to team workouts, although the 2011-2012 season seems dismal.

According to the New York Post, May 17 is when a few judge’s put a permanent freeze on a ruling that had briefly lifted the NFL lockout in April (Hubbuch, 2011). With that said, the lockout continues. Jason Chayut is a sports lawyer and agent who gave his opinion on the ruling before it was overturned:
The legal system is based on precedent and Judge Nelson in her ruling used a lot of
the 8th Circuit's previous rulings to come down with her decision in favor of the
players. From that standpoint I think it's going to be very difficult for the Circuit
Court to overturn what Judge Nelson ruled. But, my understanding is that anything can
happen in the courtroom. Nothing is a hundred percent…from a legal standpoint the
conversation about shutdown exists largely because when you're in anti-trust
litigation there is what's called treble damages, which is triple damages for the
winner of an anti-trust litigation. If the owners were found to be in violation of
anti-trust law then basically any working conditions or wages, anything imposed by 32
competing businesses on non-union employees would all be violations of that anti-trust
law (Valentine, 2011).

I empathize with the players. It’s been clear that the players want a fair portion of what’s rightfully theirs. I hope that the owners are in violation of the anti-trust law. It is time for them to realize that without the players they wouldn’t be able to afford their lavish lifestyle. The players do not need the owners. The owners depend on the athletes.

Hubbuch, Bart. (2011). Nfl lockout continues after ruling. New York Post, Retrieved
from:http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/more_sports/nfl_lockout_continues_after_ruling_enuvsOW1nTTLfwi6mzvInN

Valentine, Ed. (2011, May 16). Nfl lockout 2011: a legal perspective. New York Giants
News, Retrieved from: http://www.bigblueview.com/2011/5/16/2173352/nfl-lockout-2011-eighth-circuit-court-of-appeals-jude-susan-nelson

Fines, fines and more fines

Is it just I or could it be that the NBA seems to set a moral standard in the league? We all know that it is illegal for anyone associated with the NBA to talk to college and high-school athletes without an agent present. The league cracks down on those who infract these laws with hefty fines. The message is clear; the NBA does not want to “corrupt” collegiate athletics by tempting those with monetary value. Lets dig deep in this issue shall we. Recently hip-hop legend and mogul Shawn “Jay-z” Carter was investigated for having illegal contact with University of Kentucky men’s basketball team. The media mogul insisted that he wanted to congratulate the team’s success but was later fined. Jay-Z is a minority owner of the New Jersey Nets leaving the pro-team liable for his actions (Amick, 2011). However I see something wrong with this picture. How much do you think the University of Kentucky makes off of their athletic department? According to there 2010 budget, at least 72.65 million (Fy10 budget, 2010). U of K men’s basketball added 15.6 million to that total (Fy10 budget, 2010). Here is the problem. You have these young kids trying to get to the next level in their career while building a reputation for a college to draw in more athletes. Seems like a bit much. Sure these athletes receive athletic scholarships, but that’s about it. I have always believed that college athletes should receive a monthly stipend so they can steer clear of temptation. Do you remember the hummer controversy with Lebron James? The funny thing is, Lebron was still in high school when he was under investigation (Kindred, 2003). I think it is time for collegiate sports to pay up other than scholarships. Some of these kids don’t have family who can help them out during their tenure in school. With their schedule being so demanding, how else can they get by?

Reference
Amick, Sam. (2011, April 8). Nets fined $50k for jay-z 's visit.
Sports Illustrated, Retrieved from http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/basketball/nba/04/08/nets.jay-z.fined/index.html

Fy10 budget. (2010). Manuscript submitted for publication,
Department of Athletics, University of Kentuck, Lexington, Kentucky. Retrieved from http://www.uky.edu/Athletics/Board/agenda/may09/2010ProposedBudgetppt.pdf

Kindred, Dave. (2003, February 10). Don't blame king james.
Retrieved from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1208/is_6_227/ai_97450898/

Ochocinco

Untitled from erica lewis on Vimeo.

Fans of the National Football League (NFL) were pleased about learning the concept of Fantasy Football. According to NFL.com, “Fantasy Football puts you in the front office and on the sidelines as General Manager and Coach of your team” ("Intro to fantasy,"). These Fantasy Football enthusiasts can also play to win for cash prizes. Here is what CBSSports.com offers:

There are different versions of CBSSports.com Fantasy Football 2010. The Gold version costs $39.99 per team, with a $200 league champion prize! The Platinum version costs $99.99 per team, with a $600 league champion prize! The Diamond version costs $249.99 per team, with a $1,600 league champion prize! The Double Diamond version costs $499.99 per team, with a $3,500 league champion prize! Fantasy Football 2010 includes a free version of our Fantasy Football game for beginners with no prize for the league champion. Fantasy Football Commissioner is offered for those that want complete control and ultimate customizability at a cost of $179.99 for your entire league to play the whole season online ("Faq,").

Although fans can earn thousands of dollars, those who have employed these Fantasy Football followers lose billions on productivity. According to FoxNews.com, “During the National Football League regular season, nearly 37 million people spend an average of 50 minutes a week at work managing their fantasy teams comprised of real-life players tallying points based on statistical performance, according to outplacement consultants Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc” ("Study: fantasy football," ).

Fantasy Football has millions of fans across the nation. This translates to a multi million-dollar industry that doesn’t seem to loose steam any time soon. The NFL lockout may pose a threat to the Fantasy league. However, fans still log on to support their favorite teams and players until that issue becomes a clear detriment to the NFL.

           

Faq. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://football.cbssports.com/splash/football/spln/single/faq#

Intro to fantasy football. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://www.nfl.com/fantasy/help/whatis

Study: fantasy football costs businesses $1.1 billion a year

(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,208719,00.html

Negotiation with Trevor Jerideau

Recently I had the opportunity to speak with Trevor Jerideau Vice President of A&R at J Records. He oversees the careers of platinum selling artist Mario and Marsha Ambrosius among others. Mr. Jerideau has been in the music business for over a decade and had to negotiate many artist contracts over the course of his career. Some see an A&R position as a high-risk job. I can understand those opinions for it is rare to see an A&R maintain his/her position for several years at one label. I asked Trevor what does he require before going into a negotiation. He mainly insists that an entertainment attorney represents the artist(s) he has shown interest in. By proper representation, the negotiation will run smoothly without awkward conflict. Mr. Jerideau also insists that the artist(s) has the proper management. Most inexperienced managers make it hard for A&R’s to work efficiently. Managers may see the A&R as a threat. I understand their reasoning for some A&R’s manage high profile artist. As far as the contract is concerned, Trevor negotiates different contracts based on the artist(s) notoriety. For some artist(s) he considers a distribution deal while others get the now popular 360 deals. He stated that the 360 deals allows the label to recoup money though artist branding. The decline of music industry sells has required the music industry to improve the now defunct standard business module. All and all he says the discussion is quite simple and usually takes 30 minutes to an hour when inquiring about an unknown artist(s). However if the artist happens to be Beyonce the negotiation could take several days due to the clout in which she has. Mr. Jerideau insists that anyone interested in an A&R position should study the art of negotiation. Without that skill you would not hold down that position for long.

Has the music died?

Major labels are changing their traditional relationships with artist by implementing 360 deals. According to MTV News, 360 deals are where a label partners with the artist in publishing, merchandising and touring revenue (Montgomery, 2007). Usually the major labels benefit from the sales of recorded music. Since the decline of sales in the music industry, 360 deals have become more intuitive. If the music industry continues to struggle trying to work with technology, then it will continue to see the decline of sales. The Internet has transformed the way major labels conduct business. Therefore, it seems as if labels are constantly playing catch up. Peer to peer networks such as Napster and LimeWire continue to be a major concern for the recording industry. No one has a clear answer to whether or not labels will become outdated. The majors may not become obsolete in the literal sense, but definitely will have changed and adjusted to a point where they have more control over artist endeavors. 360 deals and the invention of the Digital Rights Movement have worked in labels favors, however; the recording industry is fighting an uphill battle with the constant change of technology.


Montgomery, James. (2007, October 16). Are radiohead, madonna, trent reznor sounding the death knell for major record labels?. Retrieved from http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1571936/20071015/radiohead.jhtml

Will Wright makes toys that make worlds