afl vs players pay dispute

[Pessimistic]

For all the PR ineptitude of the AFLPA, a deal was always going to be reached quickly.

Dolts in the media like Sam McClure always breathlessly hype these battles up with comments like "there's genuine bad blood between the AFL and the AFLPA", "Gil off the record is furious with the players", etc... and then a deal gets done not long after.

call me cynical, but the AFL has a policy to stay high in the public eye. Just another issue to discuss endlessly

 

[Pessimistic]

I haven't read all the discussion here, but I seem to be in a minority elsewhere that believes the players getting paid something is fair. If you or I get laid off from our jobs in this time then our employer is unlikely to have any work for our downtime (I got put on 'indefinite hiatus' last week and I definitely don't) so I'm going to be playing guitar and hanging out with the kids for months. But the players are still going to have to train (most likely to some sort of club program like pre-season) and are 3-4 months in their contracts already including pre-season.

So whilst I'm not saying Dusty or Buddy should get their full 7 figures, it makes sense that if they're being expected to train/keep up any media commitments etc during suspension of play that there should be some pay. Just how much is debatable though, and the end figure probably depends on how much more of the season can be played (much like how the deal they struck is structured but not necessarily those figures).

Just my thoughts though.

pay them nothing and make them free agents. All of them

 

[Turnover]

call me cynical, but the AFL has a policy to stay high in the public eye. Just another issue to discuss endlessly

Nailed it. AFL media upset they did argue for similar contracts to NRL, something to talk about. Even Andy Maher is struggling to finish a media time slot.

 

[Redline]

Not happy with this, it just increases the debt in the future.

 

[Pessimistic]

Nailed it. AFL media upset they did argue for similar contracts to NRL, something to talk about. Even Andy Maher is struggling to finish a media time slot.

‘Dice footy’

 

[Freomaniac]

No play, no pay.

Simple.

And if they are still complaining, make them do work for the bloody dole for 6 months!

While they are at it, Force them to buy toilet paper at dandenong or Frankston and see if they like being robbed at knife point for toilet paper lol.

 

[Freomaniac]

That is a logical fallacy.
The economics don't work like that because it is not linear.
Most people have fixed costs. So the surplus shoots up over a certain level of pay.
E.g
If person A gets paid 500k for 4 years
Compared with Joe bloggs who gets paid 80k for 25 years.
Total is $2 million for both.
You are saying they are equal.
They aren't.

Joe Bloggs never has surplus and finishes with no savings.

Person A can save $200k for 4 years so has investments of $800k at the end of the 4 year career.. This surplus and investment can create a future ongoing income and capital gain.

Person A is miles ahead over the short and long term.

My thoughts exactly.

If Any AFL players think they got it tough, threaten them with work for the dole and force them to live in $500 a fortnight

 

[Freomaniac]

If you have a multi year contract, you can only stop paying if a clause/condition has been triggered. Or otherwise you end up with a breach of contract by one party, or the other. All parties will still be relying on their contracts to determine their position.

well your a bulls fan. So you follow the NBA.

The NBA has shut down for 30 days.

im curious how the money goes over there. you got a salary cap of 100 million shared among 15 or 16 players. Guys like James Harden and LeBron james on Max Contracts which is 25% of the teams salary cap for 4 years.

I dont think it will hurt James Harden or Le Bron james that badly, its not like they will go broke in 6 months.

 

[Freomaniac]

Have never felt less interested in the game tbh. Who wants to watch these selfish campaigners? Disgusting that the AFL folded on this. They’re on 50% wage to literally sit at home...

Selfless.

SELFLESS!

They are putting their bodies on the line !

The AFL and the clubs must be flush with cash if they cannot afford to pay the players that.

People need to look after them selves now. Get ya membership money back if things are tight or uncertain.

Hey, football is a business after all.

AFL is a Not for Profit organisation apparently.

Again.....Any players think they are doing it tough force them to do work for the dole or put them on centrelink for the next 6 months on $600 a fortnight.


Enjoy them buying toilet paper in Dandenong or Frankston if they live in Victoria.

IF they live in WA, Force them to live in Mirrabooka or Kwinana.

to think people are getting robbed at Knife point just for toilet paper. lol.


Thats sad really..... really sad and petty if you ask me.

I wipe my bum..... er I mean my Kim Kardashian with Quilton. 4 plys of Paper.

Some people can only afford 1 or 2 ply toilet paper but meh.

 

[dickballsack]

well your a bulls fan. So you follow the NBA.

The NBA has shut down for 30 days.

im curious how the money goes over there. you got a salary cap of 100 million shared among 15 or 16 players. Guys like James Harden and LeBron james on Max Contracts which is 25% of the teams salary cap for 4 years.

I dont think it will hurt James Harden or Le Bron james that badly, its not like they will go broke in 6 months.

This is a perfect example of the difference between US sports and the afl. NBA teams are privately owned so players are still being paid (unless otherwise agreed by the player and club). Afl clubs are essentially owned by the members and underwritten by the afl with a clause to abide by their rules. So, the afl are asking player who are employed by their clubs, not the afl, to take pay cuts which they have no legal obligation to do so but u derstand their moral obligation to do so. They’ve been unfairly treated because they have to make decision based on 800 players all in different circumstances. And the only sticking point was them asking the afl to show their operating statements to understand the approximate length of the pay cuts.
Posters sprouting about their lack of knowledge of the ‘real world’ need to pull their heads in. The main sticking point wasn’t the 5 players on a mil or the 50 on $600k. They wanted the info to see the impact on the mature players on base or match payments. From my understanding the talks have been open and amicable and the piranhas in the media with nothing to talk about have used the players as their click bait. Same culprits the punters always fall for in robbo and carro. Click bait headline experts.

 

[PetterdHoisted]

pretty appalled by the players.

who wants to watch this bunch of tattoed prima donnas running around now?
At least we know the bushfire stuff and all the rest is bluster, it's all about them in the end.

my membership to RFC is just charity, I never use it, time to seriously reconsider.

 

[Corkintheocean]

Players are effectively employees. To suggest that they should just allow their employee to run roughshod over them without negotiation is insane.

I certainly wouldn't allow it of my employer. Would you?

 

[PetterdHoisted]

Players are effectively employees. To suggest that they should just allow their employee to run roughshod over them without negotiation is insane.

I certainly wouldn't allow it of my employer. Would you?

I agree, no matter how privileged you are compared to others, you have the right to grasp for everything you can.

But expect blowback.

 

[The_Reaper]

I haven't read all the discussion here, but I seem to be in a minority elsewhere that believes the players getting paid something is fair. If you or I get laid off from our jobs in this time then our employer is unlikely to have any work for our downtime (I got put on 'indefinite hiatus' last week and I definitely don't) so I'm going to be playing guitar and hanging out with the kids for months. But the players are still going to have to train (most likely to some sort of club program like pre-season) and are 3-4 months in their contracts already including pre-season.

So whilst I'm not saying Dusty or Buddy should get their full 7 figures, it makes sense that if they're being expected to train/keep up any media commitments etc during suspension of play that there should be some pay. Just how much is debatable though, and the end figure probably depends on how much more of the season can be played (much like how the deal they struck is structured but not necessarily those figures).

Just my thoughts though.

$1000 a week max per player.

 

[The_Reaper]

Players are effectively employees. To suggest that they should just allow their employee to run roughshod over them without negotiation is insane.

I certainly wouldn't allow it of my employer. Would you?

If I wasn't doing any work I wouldn't expect my employer to pay anything more than what leave I had.

 

[Corkintheocean]

I agree, no matter how privileged you are compared to others, you have the right to grasp for everything you can.

But expect blowback.

Definitely agree that perception can be negative, but it does seem to be disproportionate for sports people at such times.

 

[Corkintheocean]

If I wasn't doing any work I wouldn't expect my employer to pay anything more than what leave I had.

And what if you had signed contracts for a period irrespective of conducting a portion of the work (remembering they are still conditioning during this time)?

I had an employment contract once where I was paid monthly irrespective of if the job was shutdown or not and I was sitting at home.

After all, if it was a no pay no play contract, there would not be a negotiation.

You can't string the players up for expecting the contract they entered into to be upheld.

 

[dont bowl there]

Definitely agree that perception can be negative, but it does seem to be disproportionate for sports people at such times.

They just needed to know it was never going to play out well publicly at this time, so don't come out saying s**t like "well we put on the Bushfire game". Just do what Barrass from West Coast did, don't mention anything other than what the players are going through is nothing compared to the outside world. That's all they needed to do.

 

[Crusty Demon]

Reiwoldt bathing himself in glory during this period. "Putting their bodies on the line" for the fire charity game - and using that as an excuse for moderate pay reduction during COVID-19. What a gutter comment...

Lost all respect for this bloke. What an absolute flog.

In fact, I've lost all respect for all the players and I dare say most of the public will feel the same way. The AFL is going to struggle to come back from this debacle.

 

[PetterdHoisted]

And what if you had signed contracts for a period irrespective of conducting a portion of the work (remembering they are still conditioning during this time)?

I had an employment contract once where I was paid monthly irrespective of if the job was shutdown or not and I was sitting at home.

After all, if it was a no pay no play contract, there would not be a negotiation.

You can't string the players up for expecting the contract they entered into to be upheld.

What if by insisting on your contract being honoured, you are near-killing the company and you know everyone at the company is already looking at losing their job, people you know and worked with for years.

Insisting on contractual obligation can't take the stink away from what the players have done here.

 

[PetterdHoisted]

Would love to see Dusty or Cotch show some leadership and come out a say they aren't taking a salary for 2020. Any players done that?

 

[Hawkie_McHawkHawk]

Have to admit the way the players have handled this leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
we’re all scared and are losing money and opportunities we’d taken for granted, but the players have shown just out of touch they are from the average Joe with this.
when the games start up again I don’t want to see any pre game TV fluff pieces of how players are doing it for the love of the game and other boring cliches.
You could always tell Jack Riewoldt was a massive flog BTW. He’d just learnt how to cover it up over the years.

 

["The Roar Is Back"]

Be interesting to see if this current time
of not playing is deemed their normal October time away from their club . Especially if we end up having a season which rolls into October / November .

 

[Altum Volantes]

I think the whole thing has been a bit harsh on the players and driven by a hungry media pack looking to stir up a story in a pretty awful time.

It was a week of negotiations to determined an outcome to suit everyone at this time.

We don’t know the absolute specifics of the situation and the players deserve the right, just like everyone else remaining on a payroll but facing reduced hours, to ensure that what is agreed is something that works for the vast majority of them.

 

[Topkent]

Would love to see Dusty or Cotch show some leadership and come out a say they aren't taking a salary for 2020. Any players done that?

This is what's crazy about the 50% number. Someone like Noah Balta taking 50% is a huge loss for the young fella. Dusty is on ~ million a year. Same for Danger/Fyfe etc and all blokes on huge coin. If all those making 800k plus dropped down to a 100k for they year which is still pretty bloody good coin then id daresay you'd save between 30-50million at least.

In fact if every player on the list was paid 100k so 4.4million for each club then you'd save 18x~8 million which is 144 million.
If the season starts up again give them scaling match payments.