Xenophon Strategies

The Year of Labor Strife in U.S. Professional Sports

Blake Rhodes

When it comes to the three big American professional sports leagues, Major League Baseball (MLB) pulled off an upset while not getting as much publicity at the National Football League (NFL) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) did. With the Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA) for each league expiring in 2011, the NFL and NBA captured headlines as they both endured months long lockouts. On the other hand, MLB’s CBA did not make news until an agreement was announced three weeks prior to the previous deal’s expiration date.

After working in baseball following the 1994 strike, I know firsthand the negative ramifications that work stoppages have on the business and more importantly, the public’s sentiment towards the sport. It took MLB years to win many fans back after cancelling the 1994 World Series and quite frankly, it still hasn’t won back the hearts of many even 17 years later.

Luckily for MLB, ownership has mended its relationship with the players association so that the two sides could negotiate out of the limelight and make a splash with news of an agreement instead of negotiations through the media.

The media has changed since the last work stoppages in sports with the advent of social media. As fans now have a larger soapbox to voice their displeasure, both the leagues and the players unions in the NFL and NBA paid special attention to winning the public relations battle.  In fact, the NBA Players Association distributed a 56-page lockout handbook to its members with a special section on media with advice to avoid mentions of lavish lifestyles. The league countered with its own pr tactics, including a Q-and-A on Twitter with its fans and releasing the highlights of its proposal on its website.

In the end, neither side won.

Simply put, the general public has little interest in hearing about billionaires and millionaires fighting over large sums of money especially in this economic climate.

Over the next few days Xenophon staffers will be sharing their thoughts on some of the top stories of 2011.  Keep checking our blog, Facebook and Twitter for more.  

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