I'm not sure if it's the same situation in the NBA (it has been a player-fueled league since Stern took charge), but with the NFL, the league and its brand name seem infinitely bigger than any single player. During their own labor talks, I wonder if the owners could have just let the players strike and then hire second-rate NFL Europe fill-ins for pennies on the dollar. That **** might have worked. I think the problem there would have been the league's image hit, and not necessarily viewers caring all that much about the decreased quality of the football.
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