Report: NFLPA earned a record $35 million
Most revenue of any other sports union according to financial reports
By Daniel Kaplan/SportsBusinessJournal
NFLPA Building War Chest
NORTH CAROLINA — The NFL Players Association earned $181 million on revenue of $955 million during the last decade, far and away the most revenue of any other sports union, according to a financial report disclosed in the punitive stage of a recent lawsuit against the association.
For the 12 months ended Feb. 29, the union earned a record $34.85 million on revenue of $160 million, according to the union’s 2008 report.
The figures are the most complete financial information ever publicly revealed for America’s top sports union. The numbers underscore the financial surge the NFLPA has had since taking licensing in-house in the mid-1990s, a move made with an eye on building a war chest for potential labor disturbances.
“Our player reps have been continually reminded that our last labor fight [from 1987 to 1993] cost tens of millions of dollars and took almost six years to resolve,” said Richard Berthelsen, the NFLPA’s interim executive director.
“They also realize that the owners are all billionaires and that the next fight could be a lot more costly if the owners bring it to that. That is why we are building these substantial reserves. As we have always said, the only way to avoid a fight is to be prepared for one.”
The NFL opted out of the current labor deal in May, making 2010 the last year of the contract. The owners contend that the current deal is too favorable for the players. READ MORE
