You are making pretty big assumptions. The last CBA was signed in a much different climate; the players want to now see the financial history of the last decade and who can really blame them?
Why do they need it? Where did 10 years come from? Why isn't going back as far as 2006 sufficient?
I believe it's because they want to micromanage the way teams spend their money, which simply isn't their right. A formal, audited profit loss statement of the league as a whole dating back to 2006 is more than enough information for the players to cut a deal. They don't need to see every single detail, as most of it isn't relevant. It's simply not the union's business to tell the owners how much to pay their employees. Nor is it their business to tell an owner that he's made enough profit.
If you actually think they are doing this just to be "******", I question if you have been following any of this. The players have a very limited amount of time when they can make money, the owners on the other hand have a much greater amount of time to earn theirs (they don't risk permanent injury doing it, either), so the players have more to lose in all of this and just want to have the full picture of the financials before they make any MORE concessions. Is that really being unfair?
Oh cry me a river.
It's a personal choice for the players to play football. They could choose safer careers if they wanted, but instead they chose a high risk/high reward career. And I'm absolutely grateful they did, because I love football. I love the game. But I don't feel the least bit sorry that their careers are shorter than your average American, because they willingly made that choice.
I agree with Kitten, if they didn't have anything to hide why would they make this an issue? They are making this an issue because a) they do have something to hide or b) they do not want to set a precedent because in future CBA negotiations they may have something to hide. Either way, I am all for the NFL being honest and opening the books.
Or C) because it's none of the unions ********* business. A joint revenue, income and expenses statement would not only be relevant, but would also determine the overall health of the league. Seeing and micro-managing what the owners do with their portion of the pie is just none of the unions business.
Also, you act like the players shouldn't have any rights. The players deserve this further concession on the owners side because no one is buying tickets to see the owners sit up in a luxury box and watch the game. The players brought in this money, they should get to see the financials of the situation.
I never said the players shouldn't have rights, I just view the players merely for what they are- talented employees who make the business as a whole better.
I also don't think the owners owe it to the players to prove anything. I mean, it's a negotiation, so really, neither side has to show anything at all. The owners have said they feel the current model is unsustainable for them. They don't need to prove it, they just need to sell the idea to the players. Likewise, the players don't need to agree to it, they need to sell their disagreement to the owners.