Tackling the Issues: The History of the National Football League's 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement and What it Means for the Future of the Sport

Abstract

(10 Willamette Sports L.J., no. 1, 2012, at 17). This article examines labor relations in the National Football League (NFL). It focuses on the NFL’s 2011 collective bargaining agreement (“CBA”) with the National Football League Players’ Association. First, the article discusses the history of collective bargaining in the NFL, and then considers some major changes implemented by the 2011 CBA, including the establishment of the rookie wage scale; the “legacy benefit” for retired players; and the adjustments made to revenue sharing, the salary cap, and team spending. The article then uses case studies to show how the 2011 CBA addressed the concerns of former players, and to examine gaps that remain between prior and current CBAs.