Fret no more, Steeler fans.  Have you been waiting for years to get your opportunity to buy a Heinz Field seat license so that you can watch your beloved Steelers up close and personal for every home game?

Your opportunity has finally arrived.

The team announced it is working with Houston-based STR Marketplace, which has created a website that serves as a clearinghouse of sorts. Season ticket holders who want to unload their seat licenses can list an asking price, and fans who have been waiting for the chance to buy season tickets can see what’s available and the price. Five other NFL teams have a similar arrangement with STR Marketplace.

Steelers president Art Rooney II said in a statement Wednesday that the service “is going to make it easier than ever for our season ticket holders to sell their seat licenses to interested buyers. We are pleased to also offer a secure location for our many loyal fans to search for an opportunity to buy season tickets.” (via Post Gazette)

Roughly 45,000 of Heinz Field’s 65,000 seats require a personal seat license.  All PSL prices are supply-demand based, which has already made  many of the PSL’s for the Steelers games pretty pricey.  You also have a brokerage fee to STR Marketplace for every sale as well, which further increases the cost.   But, STR is betting that the convenience (STR’s system is certainly much easier than searching eBay or classified ads) and safety of the system should attract a lot of interest from Steeler fans, regardless of the price.

Step-by-step instructions for buying, selling and transferring seat licenses are listed on the website at www.strmarketplace.com. Every listing and transaction is confidential and verified by the Steelers.

“It’s a safe and easy way for fans who may want to sell and those who are looking for an opportunity to purchase season tickets,” said Steelers spokesman Dave Lockett. “The authenticity is guaranteed.”

After perusing the site, it appears that a lot of the PSL’s are around the 25,000-30,000 range.  So, I guess the only question that remains is…Where do you want to sit?

via Press Release,

SEATTLE, March 8 /PRNewswire/ — Tommy Bahama, the popular lifestyle brand, has announced the release of a new series of “Collector’s Edition” Major League Baseball team shirts. These custom designed shirts are the next phase in the unique collaboration between Tommy Bahama and Major League Baseball Properties for co-branded collections of premium apparel.

Tommy Bahama celebrates the start of the 2010 baseball season with a series of “Collector’s Edition” shirts individually created for eight Major League Baseball teams, including the Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Seattle Mariners, and St. Louis Cardinals. These unique shirts are individually designed for each team with customized graphics, team logos, landmarks and a genuine vintage style.  Only a limited number of each team shirt will be produced, each numbered and accompanied by a Tommy Bahama Collector’s Certificate. Tommy Bahama will release a new series of MLB team shirts at the beginning of each baseball season over the next several years.

The first team shirts to be released will be the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox — just in time for their season opener on April 4th at Fenway Park in Boston.  They will be followed by the St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies in mid May; the Seattle Mariners and Chicago Cubs at the end of May and the Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Angels in early June. All eight team shirts are currently available for viewing at www.tommybahama.com and select Tommy Bahama’s retail locations. The shirts will be sold exclusively through Tommy Bahama retail channels.

“We are very excited about these new Major League Baseball team shirts,” said Terry Pillow, CEO Tommy Bahama. “These unique and beautifully made “Collector’s Edition” shirts are just the type of thing

we had envisioned when we began our relationship with MLB.  Our talented design team worked very hard to create these special shirts and we’re hopeful that Tommy Bahama and MLB fans will be equally excited when they see them.  These are just the first of our series of MLB team shirts, and we look forward to creating “Collector’s Edition” shirts for all of the teams in the MLB in the upcoming baseball seasons.”

“Major League Baseball continuously looks for ways to provide our fans with new opportunities to connect with baseball and show their team pride,” said Howard Smith, Senior Vice President, Licensing, Major League Baseball.  ”We recognize the strength and exclusivity of the Tommy Bahama brand, and are eager to launch this new line at the start of the 2010 season.”

Tommy Bahama’s collaboration with Major League Baseball Properties began with the release of the first “Collector’s Edition” shirt to celebrate the 2009 World Series. This latest venture joins an established array of Tommy Bahama lifestyle products, which include apparel, accessories, home furnishings, restaurants & bars, retail stores, and even their own Tommy Bahama Rum.  The pairing of Tommy Bahama and MLB for this project epitomizes the natural affinity that exists between these two brands. Legions of baseball players and fans alike embrace Tommy Bahama products as well as the company philosophy that… life is one long weekend®.

Tommy Bahama baseball shirts.  Its like clothing for the fan that wants to support the team, but doesn’t want to look like everyone else…or want to look like they’re on their way to some island paradise after the game or something.  Personally, I didn’t know there was a large cross section there is between Tommy Bahama fans and MLB fans (especially to the extent that they’d rather wear a Tommy Bahama shirt as opposed to an official MLB jersey or t-shirt), but apparently there is a huge correlation.

If nothing else, it will break up the monotony of the traditional baseball shirt, right?

The recession is over!

At least, from the standpoint of commercial ads for the NCAA tournament…for this year.  CBS has sold 90% of the ad space available for the 2010 NCAA tournament, despite a serious cut back in advertising spend by embattled car company General Motors (for those that don’t know the Pontiac brand is a part of General Motors).

CBS has sold more than 90 percent of the available ad time for its coverage of the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s men’s basketball tournament. Both pricing and total sales are up compared to last year, per the network, although that’s coming off a recession year when pricing was flat and total sales for the March Madness tourney were down.

So, how is CBS still selling considerable ad space despite losing at least $25 million in advertising dollars?  Import car makers, including Audi and Mercedes Benz, are stepping up to larger spending commitments.  Furthermore, it looks like a lot of previous advertisers are being upgraded to “official sponsor” due to increased spending,

Several advertisers in other categories are stepping up to NCAA “official partner” status, with increased spending commitments, including LG, Kraft and Capital One. They join returning sponsors Enterprise car rental, State Farm Insurance, Lowe’s and The Hartford.

AT&T and Coca-Cola are returning as “corporate champions,” the highest NCAA sponsorship level in CBS’ NCAA coverage. (via AdWeek)

The overall revenue for the 2010 tournament is expected to increase by a number somewhere in the “upper single digits”, with ads going for as little as $100,000 per 30 seconds in the opening round and up to $1.2 million for a 30 second spot during the championship.

Increased revenue for CBS…increased spending by companies…what is this, 2005?

…apparently it is.  And as far as sports sponsorships go, everyone is probably breathing a collective sigh of relief.

The Charlotte Bobcats have a new majority owner.  His name is Michael Jordan.  Jordan, who initially became a minority owner of the Bobcats back in 2006, has now become the teams majority owner, at a bargain of a price.

Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, but the sale price is based on a franchise value of less than $300 million–”in the mid-to-high twos,” said a source familiar with the matter.

Mr. Johnson, the founder of Black Entertainment Television, paid $300 million for the expansion franchise in 2003, but the team has been losing money amid a rough economy and years of poor on-court performance. In the past two years, the team has attempted to save money by doing everything from shedding at least 40 front-office jobs to saving as much as $15,000 a night by hiring cheap halftime-entertainment acts. Neither Mr. Jordan nor Mr. Johnson were available for comment. (via WSJ)

Of course the deal is subject to league approval, but the likelihood of the league disapproving a deal by the man that nearly single-handedly took the NBA to prominence in the 90’s is unlikely,

David Stern, commissioner of the National Basketball Association, said in a statement that the league is pleased about the deal, noting Mr. Jordan’s home-state ties. The league expects the expedited approval process to be completed by the end of next month.

The Bobcats are 28-29 entering play today…a half game out of the 8th playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Last week the Chicago Cubs unveiled their future methodology behind the selling of baseball tickets.

The Cubs idea? A pre-sale…with an added price.

…the Cubs will launch a special First Chance Presale for individual game tickets. The sale, which runs through Thursday at noon, will allow fans early access before all tickets go on sale Friday.

The Cubs are charging a 20% fee per ticket for the advance sale. You could knock that down to 15% by using MasterCard, the sponsor of the pre-sale. There is a six-ticket limit per person, and the Cubs say they have “a limited number” of tickets available for the presale.

Interesting idea, no?  The Cubs have increased the power and value of the Master Card sponsorship with the 5% discount while simultaneously increasing the money going into their own coffers.  And for those people thinking that maybe the demand for pre-sale Chicago Cubs tickets would exist? You’d seemingly be mistaken.

“We’ve heard from fans that there’s a willingness to pay a premium for early access to games that are especially popular, like opening day,” said Wally Hayward, the Cubs’ chief marketing officer. “It’s like paying extra for a ‘Fast Pass’ at Disneyworld or Six Flags. If you’re going to Disney for three days, you don’t want to spend all your time standing in line. This is the same idea. You’re paying extra for a convenience so you can get those must-have tickets.” (via ChicagoBusiness)

Looks like it should be a great move for the Cubs as far as the increase in revenue.  But what about the fans?  The likelihood that secondary ticket markets will purchase large portions of pre-sale tickets is relatively high.  That means that some of those Cubs fans that would have previously had to pay “X” in order to get a ticket to a game are now going to pay “X” plus at least 20%, so that the secondary ticket market company that bought the ticket can still make a profit.  Apparently, this isn’t really an issue for Cubs management…yet.

“Everyone is experimenting with different models and ticket options,” Mr. Hayward said. “This is something we felt we should try to address the tremendous demand for tickets.”

A different model indeed.  The Cubs model may really prove its worthiness a few years down the road.  Just like with any other market, if you can show scarcity of a product, you can usually raise prices.  That being said, if the Cubs already have an adequate demand for a pre-sale, and if secondary ticket companies snatch up pre-sale tickets, leaving fewer tickets for the average fan, and that happens for a few years such that fans know the tickets are scarce and that they need to move quickly to purchase…

How far behind is a ticket price increase to balance out the market?

Lets check back in in a few years…

Set your calendars for March 8th.

Last week, Hennenpin County District Judge Gary Larson ruled that the “Williams Brothers”, Vikings defensive tackles Pat and Kevin Williams are allowed to sue the NFL in Hennepin County for their four game suspension the NFL imposed on them in 2009.

The Williamses testified during arbitration they used StarCaps, a diuretic tainted with bumetanide — a controlled substance the league and NFL Players Association classify as a masking agent for steroids — to lose weight and earn $400,000 bonuses at the start of training camp.

Larson sided with the Williamses on the issue of notification. He wrote the NFL took three weeks to tell the players about their failed tests when DATWA requires employers to notify workers within three days.

He also said a trial would determine whether the Williamses’ confidentiality was violated under DATWA when news of their suspensions leaked to the media before they were informed. (via TwinCities.com)

So…the crux of the case going forward?  Who employs the Pat and Kevin Williams’?  The NFL or the Vikings?

The league argues the Vikings employ the players by contracting and compensating for their services. The Williamses counter the NFL is responsible for establishing playing rules and disciplining players under the anti-doping policy.

Peter Ginsberg, attorney for the Williamses, said he was optimistic they would prove the NFL is liable for violating his client’s rights under Minnesota law.

“The NFL controls player pensions and work conditions. The NFL controls the work place environment and has a responsibility to abide by state law, and in this case it violated that responsibility,” Ginsberg said.

If the NFL is determined to be the Williams’ employer then they would have violated the DATWA’s notice provision and possibly the confidentiality provision (this is due in part to the Williams suspension actually being leaked to the media before the Williams’ themselves knew about it) which could lead to a permanent bar on the suspensions.  More importantly though, a win for the Williams’ could lead to a many other players following suit; suing the NFL under state law claims to prevent drug policy suspensions.

Of course, we may see the NFL choose to take the proactive approach, as they may ask the U.S. Supreme Court to rule on the issue so as to not deal with numerous future lawsuits.

What makes this case all that more interesting?  That pesky American Needle case.  In the American Needle case the NFL is arguing that the league is a single entity (not 32 separate teams) so as to bypass anti-trust law regarding merchandising.  Here?  The NFL is essentially arguing that the league isn’t a collective but 32 distinct teams which would prevent the NFL from being liable under DATWA.

If you’re having trouble figuring out whether the NFL is a single entity or 32 distinct teams, and think that a ruling on one of these cases will significantly impact the other case…you aren’t alone.

Even more interesting?  The league’s anti doping policy, which of course is now in question, was collectively bargained for under the NFL CBA.  If the Williams’ ultimately win the case, anybody think some serious discussions regarding a re-vamping of the league’s drug policy will come up?

…its all the NFL needs…one more thing to argue about before 2011.

(via Press Release)

CHARLOTTE, N.C.–Charlotte’s hometown airline, US Airways (NYSE: LCC), teams up today with the city’s NBA franchise, the Charlotte Bobcats, in a new corporate sponsorship agreement. US Airways and the Bobcats will hold an event for the airline’s 6,100 Charlotte-based employees later this week to celebrate the new partnership.

US Airways will sponsor in-game promotions and contests for fans at Bobcats home games. Additionally, the airline will secure promotional scoreboard signage at Time Warner Cable Arena in downtown Charlotte. US Airways will also have client hospitality opportunities at Bobcats home games.

US Airways’ Senior Vice President, Marketing and Planning Andrew Nocella, said, “It’s a natural fit to pair up Charlotte’s hometown airline with the hometown team. Our partnership with the Charlotte Bobcats lets US Airways show our commitment to the Charlotte community and Bobcats fans everywhere.”

“US Airways is one of those remarkable companies with strong Charlotte ties, a sterling reputation and a global reach,” said Bobcats Sports & Entertainment President and Chief Operating Officer Fred Whitfield. “Much like the NBA brand is able to export our city’s name and identity to a world-wide audience, US Airways has been doing that on Charlotte’s behalf for years, and that’s what made this such a perfect fit for both of us.”

US Airways, along with US Airways Shuttle and US Airways Express, operates more than 3,000 flights per day and serves more than 190 communities in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Europe, the Middle East, the Caribbean, Central and South America. The airline employs more than 31,000 aviation professionals worldwide and is a member of the Star Alliance network, which offers its customers more than 19,700 daily flights to 1,077 airports in 175 countries. Together with its US Airways Express partners, the airline serves approximately 80 million passengers each year and operates hubs in Charlotte, N.C., Philadelphia and Phoenix, and a focus city at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. And for the eleventh consecutive year, the airline received a Diamond Award for maintenance training excellence from the Federal Aviation Administration for its Charlotte hub line maintenance facility. For more company information, visit usairways.com. (LCCG)

“Neither rape allegations, marijuana pipes, pleading no contest to double murder, or vehicular homicide shall keep athletes from signing their endorsement deals.”

- Athlete Credo

Add Michael Phelps to the growing list of athletes who can not only overcome a PR nightmare, but can still turn a profit after its all said and done.  Phelps recently signed a multi-year endorsement deal with the apparel company Under Armour, to wear their apparel outside the pool (he has a contract with Speedo when he’s in the water).

The deal is expected to continue at least through the 2012 Summer Olympic games and has an estimated value of around $5 million.

The arrangement with Under Armour is Phelps’ highest-profile deal since a picture of him with a marijuana pipe surfaced in a British tabloid in January 2009.

Phelps, who will be making appearances in Vancouver on Thursday, says he already worked out in Under Armour gear. In addition, he lives near the company’s offices in Baltimore, his hometown. “It seemed like the perfect fit,” he says.

His first national TV commercial for Under Armour will co-star UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, Milwaukee Bucks rookie Brandon Jennings and former Oklahoma State wide receiver Dez Bryant. It will premiere during coverage of the NFL scouting combine. (via USA Today)

Kudos to Michael Phelps.  If he can sign a lucrative endorsement deal in spite of his previous issues, I’m all for it.  America is the land of the second chance.  We’ve seen it with Kobe, we’ve seen it with Ray Lewis, Charles Barkley…any and everyone.  Although I’d argue that he was already on it, Michael Phelps can now officially be added to the list of athletes who have moved on after a scandal.

…I heard a rumor that some golfer guy is doing a press release on Friday.  Wonder how long before we see him on this list as well?

U.S. Olympic Snowboarder Hannah Teter is all about giving back.

Having already pledged to give her recent winnings to support Haitian relief efforts, she has now taken her giving one step further.

Although her feet aren’t the body part that is taking relief efforts to the next level.

Teter this past weekend launched “Sweet Cheeks,” a personally designed line of underwear, and she used the photo spread (in Sports Illustrated — Ed.) to quietly debut the first pair — “Make Love Not War.” The initial effort, aided by her brother and agent, Octagon Associate Dir of Action Sports Amen Teter, benefits relief efforts in Haiti. For each pair of the $15 panties purchased, Hannah will donate $5 to Doctors Without Borders. “Sweet Cheeks is Hannah’s brainchild,” Amen Teter said. “She wanted to find a fun, sassy way of giving back and making a statement about it with your underwear.” The line at the moment is available exclusively online at SweetCheeksPanties.com, but could partner with a retail distributor in the future, Amen said. (via Sports Business Daily)

This is certainly one of the more interesting ways I’ve seen to raise money for the Haitian relief efforts, although maybe that’s what will help make the campaign successful; its not the usual money-raising campaign.

For those thinking that Hannah’s charitable efforts were going to stop with Haiti and one pair of underwear…think again.

While Hannah hopes to parlay the exposure from both the Vancouver Games and the Swimsuit Issue appearance into a successful launch of the “Make Love Not War” panties, the foray into underwear design will not stop with the first pair. Sweet Cheeks has plans to unveil a new design each month for at least the rest of this calendar year, with every pair targeting a different charitable cause, Amen Teter said. The goal is to raise $100,000 by this spring.

Lofty goals for the gold medalist.  Especially since the goal benefits such good causes, I am very much hoping that she is successful.

Sure, it would be easy to say that EA Sports NCAA Basketball franchise got “O’Bannon’ed”, but truth be told, there was a strong likelihood that we would have seen the death (read as: extended sabbatical probably meaning death) of the franchise anyway.  Apparently another NCAA game just didn’t fit into EA Sports plans financially, although the Ed O’Bannon lawsuit certainly didn’t help matters.

Earlier today Electronic Arts released their third quarter fiscal 2010 report which also included a list of titles planned for release in the coming fiscal year. All the usual suspects were listed with the exception of one. In addition to to that the rumored release date frame for a couple new franchises can be confirmed as well as the addition of a new fighting title in the works.

As I’ve been discussing the likelihood of for months it now appears a foregone conclusion that the NCAA Basketball series has been canned. It was not included on the fiscal 2011 list which had every other yearly title on it. The signs have been there for a while and included poor sales, complete lack of any post-release support, development team movement, and continued talk of trimming unprofitable titles. (via PastaPadre)

Well…at least Ed O’Bannon can sleep well at night knowing that his likeness won’t continue to be misused by the NCAA.

Although I think he may be aiming his sites a little higher.

…well maybe.

The UFL’s New York franchise (the Sentinels) is moving to Hartford.  Apparently its a move that has been in the making, at least in Commissioner Michael Huyghue’s mind, for quite awhile,

“I’m thrilled because I feel like I’m coming home to a market that I’ve always wanted to have a team in,” Huyghue said Monday. “I think Hartford is an unbelievable market. And when you consider that we’re moving the team from New York, when everybody says you have to have a team in New York … I think that’s a strong statement on just how good we feel about Hartford.”

Since the UFL was born last year, Huyghue has continually cited Hartford as a future market. The Sentinels played one of their three home games at Rentschler last year and it was apparent Hartford would get a franchise, either through expansion or relocation. (via Hartford Courant)

Apparently the move to Hartford in part, is part of the UFL’s strategy to put teams in non-NFL markets.  Seeing as how the UFL season occurs simultaneously with the NFL’s and the NFL’s immense popularity my only question is why that wasn’t the strategy in the UFL’s inaugural season.

Besides the moving of the New York franchise, look for a lot of activity from the UFL for their second season,

Besides the New York-to-Hartford shift, the UFL is expected to relocate the California Redwoods from the Bay Area to Sacramento and add two teams through expansion. San Antonio, Omaha, Salt Lake City, Louisville and Portland, Ore., have been mentioned as possibilities.

The ownership alignment will be the same — the league owns 50 percent of each franchise — and Hartford’s franchise will still be owned by New York financier William Mayer. But teams will have a stronger base in their market this year, with players and staff based in local markets.

I can’t say whether or not the UFL will succeed, but it does at least seem like they’re moving in the right direction.  Teams in non-NFL markets, creating stronger employee (and probably consumer) bases as well by tapping into the local markets…Lets sit back and see what they do, in season 2.

minor league team in a fledgling league.

Huyghue, commissioner of the United Football League, will be at Rentschler Field in East Hartford for an 11 a.m. press conference to announce the relocation of the New York Sentinels to Hartford.

Even though NBC is losing money on the American coverage of the Olympic games, it looks like the American Olympic committee itself, the USOC, is doing pretty well.  It was announced today that BP signed a multi-year sponsorship deal with the USOC, paying the committee upwards of $3.5 million dollars over the next 4 (four) years.

BP will pay an eight-figure sum as a partner of the US Olympic Committee, after agreeing to partner the USOC for the next four years.

The deal, signed during the winter Olympic Games currently underway in Canada, sees BP become one of the USOC’s major backers. It is in addition to BP’s existing Olympic contracts, including a sponsorship of the London 2012 Olympic Games. (via Sports Pro Media)

Not bad.  According to Tripp Mickle of SBJ, its unclear whether or BP would be the USOC’s exclusive petroleum partner or if their definition will expand to something more broad within the energy category. (via Sports Business Daily)

I guess I’ll put the pre-requisite “Go USA!” to end this post.  Go watch the Olympics.

(Thanks to Christian Matthews of Taylor PR)

If you’re the parent of an Olympian, you’ve undoubtedly put up with a lot over the years.  Early morning practices, shelling out money to buy equipment, dealing with the highs of your child’s successes and the lows of their defeats…The Olympians realize what their parents did to put them in this situation.

…and now, thanks to Proctor & Gamble, they’ll get a to say “Thanks, Mom”

In support of P&G’s Team USA partnership, the company is introducing its first-ever corporate campaign titled: “Thanks, Mom.”

The main focus of P&G’s “Thanks, Mom” is to help Team USA moms get to Vancouver to see their child compete. Utilizing pre-loaded debit cards that the moms can use towards their travel and accommodations, P&G is actually the first company in Olympic Games history to provide this level of support to the moms of Team USA.

The “Thanks, Mom” campaign celebrates that special person in the lives of Team USA athletes who cheer them on and support their dreams.  For some, that person may be a mom; for others it may be an aunt, grandmother or even dad.  The campaign is all about the love and the care that has been shown over the years, from driving future Olympians to practice to doing more than 5,000 pounds of laundry.  The campaign, which features a television commercial that will air on NBC during the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympic Winter Games, focuses on moms and their stories as they relate to raising an Olympian.

Proctor & Gamble has “Thanks, Mom” commercials running throughout NBC’s Olympic coverage.

Below, are two Olympic mothers discussing the campaign on the Today Show

Great campaign by Proctor & Gamble.  Parents give so much to get their kids to the Olympics, its nice to see a campaign like this afford the parents an opportunity to get to the games themselves to see the fruits of their own, and their kids labor.

The NBA has decided to extend their agreements with Haier, they announced Wednesday.

The deals involve a variety of NBA-themed promotions, including advertising, retail promotions, hospitality and NBA-themed sweepstakes, according to a statement from the league.

The partnerships also include activities with NBA Digital, including media, digital promotions, and special content on NBA.com and NBA TV, along with advertising commitments on NBA national game telecasts on ABC, ESPN and TNT.

Haier will also become an official promotional partner of the NBA Development League, as the presenting partner of the NBA D-League Dream Factory Friday Night at NBA Jam Session presented by Adidas during NBA All-Star 2010 in Dallas the NBA said. (via Twice)

For those of you that can’t really remember how you’ve seen Haier and the NBA partnered together, Haier is the official HDTV of the NBA and the also have daily features on NBA.com such as “Haier Play of the Day”

Details of the agreement (i.e. length of deal/terms of deal) were not disclosed.

A win is always a win…except when it might not be a win.

Last week Special Master Stephen Burbank ruled that league owners wouldn’t be allowed to dismantle the supplemental revenue sharing pool (SRS) in 2010.  The pool will be valued at roughly $220 million dollars in 2010.  The NFLPA viewed the ruling as a victory,

“The Special Master basically rejected every single argument that management made and regardless of how the league characterizes the decision, this is a victory for players, for low-revenue clubs and the fans,” said Jeffrey Kessler, the lead counsel for the union in the case.

Kessler said that the ruling, if upheld, should motivate low-revenue clubs to participate in spending on their own players and potential free agents, regardless of whether those free agents are restricted by any means allowed in an uncapped year. (via ESPN)

While the NFL is looking to appeal the decision,

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said, “Today’s decision involves a small sliver of the NFL’s overall commitment to revenue sharing. The NFL for decades has shared more than 80 percent of league and club revenues. In the 2006 collective bargaining agreement that expires in 2011, the NFL clubs also agreed to a small percentage of additional revenue sharing because of the new CBA’s significantly increased salary cap. The agreement calls for no salary cap in 2010 and that additional piece of revenue sharing to which the clubs had agreed in 2006 is therefore no longer required in our view. Although the Special Master disagreed with our interpretation on that issue, we are hopeful that Judge Doty, who will look at the issue anew, will see it differently.”

It’s a victory for the NFLPA, right?  Eh, not quite.  Since 2010 is going to be an uncapped year, the NFL basically ends up with a situation akin to MLB; namely no salary floor.  If you own the Jacksonville Jaguars (Wayne Weaver) and you are losing money on a yearly basis, are you going to take your SRS money and spend it on more players or just pocket the money to make your bottom line look better?

Is there really any incentive for the owners to spend their money on the players in an uncapped year?  Maybe MLB’s Pittsburgh Pirates can answer that question for you (…for the last 17 years.)

In this case, it looks very likely that the players may lose…even if they win on appeal.