Players Advised to Save Money by Union

More bad news for die-hard NFL fans: The players are being told to save a quarter of their salaries from the next two seasons in anticipation of not making any money in 2011. That's right, the NFL Players Association is openly preparing for a football-less Fall in 2011.

Now, it's pretty easy to say the players should be saving their money anyway. After all, most players are retired before their mid-30s and should have at least half their life remaining. Sure, you can find work in your mid-30s and make a sound living, but if you consider how much money these players make, they really shouldn't ever have to work again. Furthermore, this plan is not necessarily a sure thing the players will be locked out; it could simply be a case of the association reminding its members to be careful.

The "campaign" is being called 25/25, in honor of saving 25 percent of their earnings for the next two seasons. Some representatives -- Shaun O'Hara of the Giants and Chester Pitts of the Texans -- have stressed that 25 percent is the minimum and, if possible, players should be looking to save more than just a quarter of their money made during this time. Also, some concerns have been expressed as to the ability of some players to stick to the plan. So it would seem the players and their association are truly worried about being locked out by the owners.

If you read between the lines, though, there is more to this than simply being prudent and/or fearful. Check out this beautiful quote:

"It's essential that players are financially prepared to withstand the loss of income due to a lockout," said Financial Programs and Advisor Administration Director Dana Hammonds. "A financially sound membership represents a strong bargaining group."

And there it is. If the owners try to put the pinch on player salaries, the players will have enough money tucked away to take a hard-line stance. That is, if they actually follow the plan in place. The worst kind of leverage is desperately needing a paycheck, so the association is already putting safeguards in to ensure they don't end up in this situation -- lest the players' demands be compromised by empty pockets.

Regardless of the ugly road this thing is sure to take in the next two calendar years, it, at the very least, appears we should devour every piece of our beloved sport in the next two seasons. We don't have the luxury of tucking away 25 percent of our needs as fans for a rainy day.