Jerry Doesn't Like Revenue-Sharing

[yesfan]

Wed Mar 23, 2005 --from FFMastermind.com

ESPN's John Clayton reports owners spent more of Tuesday trying to resolve their differences over how to extend the collective bargaining agreement, but they appeared to be at the same dead end commissioner Paul Tagliabue expressed Monday. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, one of the league's high revenue teams, discussed publicly his problems with accepting a tax of sorts to redistribute the revenues and help the teams at the lower end of the scale. He sounded hardline in his beliefs. "We share more revenue than any sport ever has," Jones said. "It's been very successful. But the players have benefited tremendously from the system that is in place that creates incentives for teams to build stadiums and go out and create new revenues. Players have gotten that money, and it's been tremendous. I don't know that the players would agree to subsides that would diminish incentives for low revenue clubs to improve their revenues." The NFL shares its ticket and television revenues. Teams with new stadiums, though, have created a gap in revenues that is growing ever wider. Things such as revenues from luxury suites, concessions, stadium signage and others aren't shared. Jones believes sharing those things would be a "dis-incentive," and he won't support that type of change. "Players want the most incentives they can get," Jones said. "But that's how revenues have grown. Players run from a revenue tax. They want clubs to get their revenues because players get their revenues." The NFL is concerned the growing gap in revenues will create competitive problems. There would be Haves and Have Nots. Jones disagrees. "There is no collation between competing and the revenue of clubs," Jones said. "There never has been. We've had teams with low revenues win Super Bowls. I remember winning a Super Bowl one time and we were one of the lowest two teams from revenue that year. It does not equate to winning." More talks will continue Wednesday at the owners meeting.