Dispute leaves lacrosse league in state of limbo
They’re agreeing to disagree.
And that might kill their sport at the professional level.
The National Lacrosse League is off the floor for at least the first two weeks of the upcoming season.
Whether a work stoppage will suspend the entire campaign remains to be seen. But Thursday, the league announced that a failure by the league and the players’ union to come to terms on a new collective-bargaining agreement has forced the cancellation of games that were to be played on the Dec. 1 and Dec. 8 weekends.
“With respect to the upcoming season, the Professional Lacrosse Players’ Association has instructed its players not to attend training camps or submit to physicals, making the formation of rosters and operation of the opening of the season impossible,” said a statement from the NLL, issued Thursday afternoon.
“Therefore, and regrettably, because of the PLPA’s current position, the first two weekends of the 2018-19 season, which includes games on Dec. 1 and Dec. 8, 2018, are cancelled.”
So a work stoppage is essentially in effect until further notice — that is until the two sides can find enough common ground to put the players back on the floor.
The players were given until 3 p.m. Tuesday to accept the league’s proposal, but the league, later that day, issued a statement saying they were expecting a proposal based on recent talks and suspended the deadline.
The players’ union then tabled their second proposal, a counter-deal to the league’s Tuesday proposal, but that was flatly rejected by the league.
“After a thorough review of the PLPA’s counter-proposal, it is clear we cannot accept the terms the PLPA has put forward, and therefore, have made a decision to reject it,” said the statement. “We believe those terms would have both short- and long-term negative consequences on our member clubs and the league, which we are not willing to accept. Therefore, there is not yet an agreement on a new collective-bargaining agreement.”
Where the Roughnecks are concerned, the news means the cancellation of just one game — the season opener Dec. 1 against the host Colorado Mammoth. The team’s second game, its home opener, is slated for Dec. 15 at the Saddledome against the expansion Vancouver Warriors.
The Roughnecks have already cancelled three weekends of training camp because of the dispute.
Comment from the players’ union came late Thursday.
“We are sorry the league chose not to accept either of our two proposals,” said the PLPA statement. “Our proposal Wednesday would have us play under the first two years of their seven-year proposal, with the prospect of a fiveyear term if an agreement on the definition and application of gross average team revenue is reached by January of 2020.
“Our one-year deal has never come off the table. Instead, they chose to inconvenience themselves by cancelling games. We remain committed to a fair and transparent contract.”
The players opted out of the last CBA a year ago.
“We have always comported ourselves in a professional, above board and good-faith manner,” said the league in a statement earlier this week. We believe we must create a partnership for growth with the players, but we must grow together with a strategy that fits within a reasonable business model. A guaranteed 400 per cent increase in expenses without a corresponding guaranteed revenue increase is not something as stewards of the league we should be doing.”
The league says its offer included a 25 per cent increase in salary and benefits for the players, reportedly a significant improvement from the last CBA.
“It’s a testament to our ownership’s commitment to continuing to invest heavily in our business to grow the league,” the statement said. “Additionally, in order to address the concerns expressed by our players that they not be left behind as the league grows, as well as our owners’ desire to share in lacrosse-related revenues including team-generated revenues such as parking, food and beverage and merchandise concessions, the league proposed a fair calculation of bonuses to be paid to the players based on attendance growth plus a percentage increase each year to account for growth in all those attendance related revenue streams.
“… We believe the current offer on the table for the players is extremely fair and generous given where the league has come in a short 35 months since new management took over.”
This all comes as the league expands to include three new franchises. The Philadelphia Wings return after a three-year hiatus, while the San Diego Seals and the Vancouver Warriors are new.
A team in Halifax is scheduled to join the league next season to bring membership to 12 franchises.
“We are running a business which is growing successfully,” the league’s statement said. “We must come together to collectively grow the game. This is a long-term proposition to make the National Lacrosse League the preeminent league of choice to propel our world’s best lacrosse players to new levels of brand recognition and relevance. We, along with the players, have built a strong foundation to position the sport for continued success, but the work must continue in a realistic fashion …
“At this point, we are extremely disappointed that we have not reached a fair and equitable agreement for both the NLL and the players.”