Whether it is an NFL shutdown or an NBA shutdown, in the final analysis, both sides are competing for their own interests. The teams hope to exploit more profits, while the players hope to strive for more income.
This has nothing to do with Lu Ke and Curry, but it is also related to Lu Ke and Curry. Furthermore, the contract signed after this lockout will affect the league's salary trend in the next ten years, and it is very likely that it will completely affect Lu Ke. and Curry’s career. So, everything is related to them.
So, this also brings us to an important question that everyone is extremely curious about: Why do NBA players earn several times more than NFL players?
For a simple example, during the 2016 NFL offseason, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck signed a six-year, $140 million contract. In fact, it was the final year’s salary plus five years of $100 million. Twenty-three million, this is the largest contract in the history of the entire league.
But its edge was later easily surpassed by NBA player Mike Conley's five years and 153 million.
What's even more sad is that the guaranteed part of Luck's contract is actually only 87 million. It can be compared to Evan-Fournier (Evan-Fournier), who has just been renewed by the Orlando Magic in the NBA. The contract signed at the same time is Eighty-five million for five years, fully guaranteed.
In other words, the highest contract in NFL history is only a mid-level contract in the NBA. This is exactly the same as advertising endorsement fees, but why?
From a pure perspective of league revenue, the NFL is almost twice that of the NBA, and the number of viewers, advertising sponsorships, national topics, etc., all completely exceed the latter; among the four major sports leagues in North America, the NFL is the leader, and the NBA But could only settle for third place.
However, in terms of players' personal income, it has created an incredibly huge gap.
The specific reasons are more complicated to explain.
Both the NFL and NBA have salary caps, and their salary caps are calculated using similar formulas.
In the NFL, football-related revenue is divided into different parts, and each part is multiplied by a different proportion. After all is added up, it is divided by thirty-two as the salary cap of each team; and an upper and lower line is set for this total. It accounts for 47% to 48.5% of the NFL's total revenue.
The NBA also stipulates that the salary cap is 49% to 51% of total basketball income.
Therefore, whether it is the NBA or the NFL, if a contract with a large increase is signed, the player's salary level will inevitably increase significantly. The specific reasons why the average salary level of football players is far inferior to that of basketball players can be divided into For two points:
First, there is the issue of numbers.
Among an NFL team, the number of people included in the salary cap is the fifty-one with the highest salary, while the maximum number of people on an NBA team's roster is fifteen.
The NFL has more than 1,600 players sharing 48% of the total revenue, while the NBA has only 450 players sharing 50% of the total revenue.
Therefore, even though the NFL's total revenue is almost double that of the NBA, the NFL's per capita salary is less than half that of the NBA.
Second, the salary cap.
The NFL adopts a hard salary cap. If the salary cap is higher than the salary cap, no signings are allowed, without exception. In order not to become passive in transfer operations and player contract renewals, NFL teams often reduce the total contract amount and the guaranteed part of the contract, which also further controls and compresses the team's income.
The NBA also has two lines: the salary cap and the luxury tax trigger point. However, if the salary cap is exceeded, there are still a series of additional circumstances such as the Bird exception, the mid-level exception, and the biennial exception to complete the signing. Even if the luxury tax is exceeded, it is not a big problem. , the team only needs to pay the fine and can still sign the player of their choice.
It is precisely because of this that there is also a huge gap in the salary income of football and basketball players, which has many similarities with advertising endorsement fees; but overall, the average salary gap between the NFL and NBA has not further widened, but has remained With sustained growth at a rate similar to the economic level, the upward trend is quite close.
In fact, the pressure control brought about by the hard salary cap limits the average salary level of NFL players, but in turn, it also enhances the average competitiveness of the thirty-two NFL teams, thereby increasing the league's influence——
Due to the existence of a hard salary cap, it is almost difficult for a team to sign multiple top superstars at the same time. In addition, rugby inherently requires the full strength of the offensive team, defensive team, and special team to win the game. It is even more difficult for superstars to gather.
Naturally, the strength gap between teams has not been completely widened. There are countless classic games in which the weak defeated the strong and the small gained the big.
More importantly, this also puts an end to the situation where one team is dominant and continues the intensity of competition year after year.
Whether it is the NBA in the United States or the five major leagues in Europe, there have been dynasty teams in history that have unified the country and swept away thousands of troops, creating an era of their own, which may even last for several years or even longer; but in such a situation, It is difficult to appear in the NFL.
First, after a team wins the Super Bowl, its champions and powerful players will inevitably become coveted by other teams, and the existence of a hard salary cap also limits the team's ability to continue the main lineup intact, and the overall strength will inevitably Fluctuations occur.
Secondly, other teams can quickly improve their combat effectiveness through the draft and free market adjustments, further equalizing the already small gap in strength.
Thirdly, the playoffs are a single elimination system, which adds many uncertainties.
Therefore, the Super Bowl championship every year is full of countless suspense, everything is possible, and the expectations are naturally rising; this also explains why there has never been a three-peat team in NFL history. Even if there are only two teams that win three championships in four years.
To a certain extent, the existence of a hard salary cap has increased the visibility of rugby games, further narrowing the competitiveness between teams, and the games will naturally be more exciting and beautiful. The suspense of victory or defeat always exists, firmly attracting fans. Catching the fans' attention. Even if you have a terrible season this year, you can still have a comeback next year.
This year's San Francisco 49ers are a typical representative.
From another perspective, if the NFL lockout can be successfully ended, player unity is one aspect, while player interests already occupy a small part, and there is really not much room for improvement, which is another aspect.
The NBA lockout is facing many difficulties. Even if it misses the new season, the team refuses to give in. On the one hand, the players' income already accounts for the majority, and the income of the team owners is far less than that of the NFL owners. Naturally, it is even more. Not wanting to let go is another aspect.
The operation of the salary cap can also be seen as one of the obvious differences between the NFL and NBA.
The income gap between football players and basketball players has always been a hotly debated topic in American sports, especially when the free market opens in the offseason.
Therefore, during this NFL lockout, the players would rather give up the proportion of total income, but also must increase the upper limit of the hard salary cap. The purpose is to effectively increase the direct income of the players; but there is no hard salary in the NBA Cap, what the players and the team are arguing about is the vital interests of the bosses, and those old diehards naturally refuse to compromise.
For these two young people, Lu Ke and Curry, the impact is not on the present, but on the future.
But looking back, neither of them can determine the direction of their future careers. After all, professional athletes are full of too many variables. Curry is still suffering from injuries, and Lu Ke is only a first-year student. Therefore, this year's shutdown will not have an immediate impact on either of them. They must strive for a future first, and then worry about the benefits brought by the "future".
"What about you? How are you now? I heard that you have restarted training camp?" Lu Ke was also paying attention to the NBA suspension. He was happy for Curry when he learned that the league had finally restarted. For players, competition and competition are the most important, and Lu Ke has always believed this.
"I'm not as excited as I thought." Curry let out a long breath, with some uncertainty in his tone, "But... I'm still getting excited. Finally, I can finally play games this year." Curry's sigh made Lu Ke couldn't help but chuckle, "How about this, you won't be able to come and watch the opening game this year, right?"
"Are you inviting me to spend Christmas with you? Does Ayesha know?" Lu Ke's response made Curry laugh happily.
This year's opening game will start on Christmas Day, and will usher in the annual "Christmas War" at the same time. It is conceivable that this year's special circumstances will usher in a full-scale outbreak on the day of the opening game. It will definitely be the NBA's annual grand event. Just by thinking about it, you can imagine the excitement.
"I was thinking about when I would have the opportunity to go to Candlestick Stadium to watch a game. God, last night's game was so exciting! Watching it live is still different after all!" Even thinking about it now, Curry couldn't help but marvel. .
Lu Ke smiled, "If I go to Oakland and won't be beaten by Raiders fans, I will be happy to go to Oracle Stadium to watch the game at any time. Have I mentioned it before? If I hadn't chosen football, I would have become a basketball player."
In response to Lu Ke's complaint, Curry rolled his eyes, "Please, the Raiders and the 49ers can't be considered mortal enemies, okay?" Then he changed his focus, "I know you used to play basketball, but I didn't know It’s actually reached this point, what position do you play?”
"Well, when I was in elementary school, there were no strict distinctions between positions on the court. But I think it should be the defender..." Lu Ke couldn't help scratching his head, even he was not sure, and then there was a message on the other end of the phone. Curry’s unbridled laughter——
primary school? A distant elementary school, but...that can be considered a basketball player, right?
Faced with Curry's exaggerated attitude, Lu Ke said calmly, "The last time we were filming in the studio, who lost the shooting contest?"
The laughter stopped abruptly.
