Theres a reason there hasnt been a meaningful work stoppage in pro football for almost 27 years, and its not because this is a sport where the players have nothing to complain about. The very nature of the sport makes it difficult - some might say near impossible - to keep players united during a work stoppage because work stoppages are always about making sacrifices in the short term to benefit in the long. And for a great number of players in a sport with short careers and non-guaranteed contracts, there is no long term. But perhaps even more difficult to overcome is the fact that in football a small number of players on every team are paid far more than the rest, especially the large number of players on every team who will earn at or near the league minimum. And it is those star players, who already enjoy the biggest paydays and the most job security, wholl gain the most as the result of a successful work action. Look at any roster in either the CFL or NFL and youll probably be surprised to earn how many players are earning at or near the league minimum, which this NFL season will ranges between $420,000 and $645,00 for players from zero to three years of service in the league. In the CFL, that figure will go from $45,000 to $50,000 for this season based on what the parties have agreed to so far during current CBA negotiations. Since payrolls for CFL teams arent public, lets use an NFL team as an example to illustrate the payroll dynamics in pro football, which are similar in both leagues, albeit on a different scale. Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers enters this season with an average salary of $22 million, nearly double that of anyone else on the team. Among Packers currently under contract, there are only four with an average salary of more than $7 million season, and another four at more than $4 million. There are eight players listed at between $2 million and $4 million, and 67 whose average salary is less than $1 million, 49 of whom are due to earn less than $600,000. The numbers in the CFL are obviously smaller but the manner in which they compare to one another is similar, with star quarterbacks earning roughly $500,000 per season while a large portion of each roster earns less than $60,000 per season. The truth is that whatever gains are made for the players in either league usually mean the rich will get richer. For example, the NFL will operate this season with a salary cap of $133 million dollars. But if that figure was suddenly increased to $200 million, the primary beneficiaries would be the Peyton Mannings, Aaron Rodgers, Tom Bradys and Richard Shermans of the world, while the leagues rank and file would essentially remain un affected. Same thing in the Canadian Football League - where if the CFLPA were to get its wish and have the salary cap jump immediately from $4.4 million to $5.8, the benefits would go to players such Ricky Ray, Darian Durant and the rest of the players whom fans pay to see. Of course theres another dynamic in the CFL game that doesnt exist south of the border. And thats that starting Canadian players - the ones mandated by the leagues quota system - also stand to benefit handsomely from any increase because of the laws of supply and demand. But the question becomes how do you convince the great number of players earning at or near the league minimum - young American players or backup Canadians - to commit to a work stoppage when theres little or no chance many of them will benefit from it? Standing up for a much higher minimum salary might help boost support among the rank and file, but that never seems to be the priority in either league. And therein lies the challenge of trying to keep a union full of professional football players all on the same page during a negotiating process. Consider that, despite having the leverage of being able to shut down the most profitable sport in North America, NFL players werent much interested in testing the resolve of their membership by missing paycheques when the league locked out its players during the off-season three years ago. They settled before that could happen. In Canada, the CFLPA has made a lot of noise about being disappointed in the leagues various offers this spring. But it hasnt said anything about having all of its membership on side, or being unbreakable, or being willing to miss game cheques in order to reach their goals in negotiation. The truth is that if the CFLPA were to strike a portion of the season, a great number of players will never get that money back - even if the owners were to capitulate completely. Many would simply be out of the league before they could benefit or would be left to watch the windfalls go to star players while they continue to earn similar amounts. All of these dynamics play to the owners advantage. And in the CFL, where were talking about players needing money to simply pay for the cost of living, the advantage is even greater. Will we see a CFL players strike later this month? Perhaps while its just training camp being missed, when no one has to make a true financial sacrifice to benefit the group for the long term. But in a sport where the rewards of such an action are likely to wind up in the hands of a select few, expecting anything more may be asking too much. Fake NCAA Jerseys .ca. Hi Kerry, Love reading your column and loved watching your analysis on the TSN broadcasts!And were now in Round 2! Bruins! Canadiens! We know all about the great games of the past from the players, the broadcasters and the writers. Fake Jerseys Online . PETERSBURG, Fla. http://www.fakejersey.com/fake-nhl-jerseys/. Two weeks after suffering a concussion, Foles will start in place of Michael Vick, who is out for the second time this season with a hamstring injury. Fake Puma Jerseys .com) - The Ottawa Senators will try to keep their slim playoff hopes alive when they face the Chicago Blackhawks who are trying to secure their place in the post-season. Fake Jerseys From China . Sixteen teams have moved on. Sixteen teams have gone home.LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Former NFL safety Darren Sharper pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges that he drugged and raped two women he met at a West Hollywood night club, while the emergence of a new accuser in Florida left him under investigation in five states. Lawyers for Sharper, who played in the NFL from 1997 to 2010 primarily with the Green Bay Packers, said they would prove that any sexual contact Sharper engaged in was welcomed. "All of these were consensual contact between Mr. Sharper and women who wanted to be in his company," said attorney Leonard Levine. But a prosecutor pointed out the many investigations against Sharper in places including Tucson, Ariz., Las Vegas and New Orleans, and asked a judge for $10 million bail. The judge rejected that as excessive, though increased it from $200,000 to $1 million. "The court considers these crimes quite serious and has to protect the public," Superior Court Judge Renee Korn said. Sharper, wearing a grey suit and black t-shirt, came to court with his lawyers and a bail bondsman who immediately arranged to post his bail. The judge ordered Sharper to remain in Los Angeles, stay away from nightclubs and not be alone with any woman he did not know before October, when the first allegations emerged. The judge set a court date for April 15 to schedule a preliminary hearing. Korn rejected a bid by defence attorney Blair Berk to shut down the release of information in the case. "Were asking to litigate this in a court of law, not by Twitter feed and entertainment shows," said Berk. The latest allegations surfaced in a Miami Beach police report released Thursday.dddddddddddd It was filed Jan. 19 — more than a year after the alleged attack. No charges have been filed but Detective Vivian Hernandez said the investigation remains open. The report states that the accuser and two friends went to a club in the fall of 2012 and met Sharper and another man. All five left the club at approximately 4 a.m. and Sharper drove them all to his condo. The victim admitted to being extremely intoxicated. The victims two friends told her the next day that she went into a bedroom with Sharper and he closed the door behind them. The friends said they heard her telling Sharper "No, no. Stop, I dont want to." They began knocking on the door, entered the room and attempted to take the victim home. The victim cant remember what she said except that she wanted to sleep. The victim said she awoke around 9 a.m. to find her pants off and Sharper having sex with her. She said she asked "whats going on" and Sharper got up and put on a pair of shorts. Sharper told her they didnt have sex. He then walked her to her car in a parking garage. The victim said she went to be examined a week later. She made the police report after a friend saw that Sharper was arrested for sexual battery. If convicted in the California case, Sharper could face more than 30 years in state prison. Sharper was selected All-Pro six times and chosen for the Pro Bowl five times. He played in two Super Bowls, one with the Packers as a rookie and a second with the Saints. ' ' '