Will the NLL be stopped by a players strike?

[preeths]

We've posted the news that the NLL has been notified that the players intend to strike. According to a CP article, the league made a proposal to the players July 31, and the players association didn't respond until November 8! Anyone know anything more or have any thoughts on what might happen?

[Ez Street]

Personally i can't see the players going through with this. It's not like they have millions like the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL players do. Sooner or later they will realize that in Lacrosse, they don't have the revenue to pay higher salaries.

[jayme2008]

Ez Street
That is why this stike will go on.Unlike the nhl nba etc the nll is not a full time job for the players.All of them hold down jobs so infact the nll is a part time job for them.To add some of the summer teams pay way better then the nll so this strike will go on and it will be a long one.

[Big Chris]

If the NLL has a strike then you can kiss all of the American based western teams goodbye. (SJ, Arizona, Anahiem and Colorado.) Only Colorado had any established fanbase and nobody will care if those other teams disappear out there at the moment. This strike could very well kill the NLL.

[Magnum357]

Just out of curiosity, how much does an NLL player make? Since the NLL is a pretty young league and the league still has a small exposure to America, is the pay fairly low compared to other Major/Minor leagues out their?

[SignGuyDino]

I think this will kill the NLL, I agree.

[Magnum357]

As much as this is not good for the NLL, I not much into the league. For some reason I like the MLL a little better.

[Big Chris]

Magnum,

The NLL is a merged owner-run version of the Major Indoor Lacrosse League. The MILL was formed in 1986 and began play as the Eagle League in 1987.

The MILL was a single entity league owned by Chris Fritz and Russ Kline. Players were paid between $50.00 to $200.00 per game plus expenses virtually throughout the MILL's existance, (with the exception of Gary and Paul Gait who made well into the 6 figure mark for the majority of their careers.) The Player's Union had a serious problem with Fritz and Kline in the final years of the MILL when they backed off of an ambitious expansion plan in 1996.

In 1998 the NLL was formed and it was a league where all of the teams were to have owners. They bought the Boston Blazers and Baltimore Thunder lock stock and barrel except for the team names and Fritz and Kline concieded defeat and took over the Philadelphia Wings and expansion Ontario Raiders and the rest of the MILL teams were sold off. (Interesting to note that every last one of the owners that forced Fritz and Kline's hands lasted maybe a year or two before disappearing. The Boston Blazers never played another game after they were bought by Frank DuRoss who never had the money to float a team anyway and simply bought the franchise to kill it to force the merger.

Since then Gary and Paul Gait, (Paul has since retired,) have made over half a million dollars a year to promote the game and play. Unfortunately they never could draw fans anywhere they have gone and their career resumes are a MILL/NLL graveyard with the only exception of Philadelphia. (Who drew big weather the Gaits were there or not.) The Rookies only make $200.00 per game and the vets don't make much more.

The players have a point but they have no voting power. Only the player reps are allowed to vote on CBA matters rendering the rank and file's power null and void. (Funny how Gait is a player rep while he makes more then the entire player union combined.) The players never even got to vote on weather or not they wanted to strike. This is fatal to their credibility and the strike will ultimately kill this league. I hate to say it but I think this will be the final season of the National Lacrosse League as we know it.

[Magnum357]

Wow, very interesting info Chris. I hardly know much about the NLL other then watching a couple of games in the past when it was on TV and such.

I was just saying I like the MLL because I like the rules more then the NLL. Not saying the rules or league suck, its just that I like the MLL a little better.