In Defense of MLS Players

As the impasse between Major League Soccer and the Players Union continues, the possibility that the players will be locked-out by the league on February 1st when the current CBA expires becomes increasingly more likely.

There is a mix of concern and fear amongst soccer fans in the United States about what effect a work stoppage would have on not only the league, but on the state of the game itself. As “D-Day” approaches I fully expect the pressure from bloggers and fans to increase on both sides to figure something out. No doubt the levels of anger and frustration amongst fans will likely grow in direct relation to the amount of time this process takes to resolve. There are two important facts to remember before we start judging right and wrong in this situation: First, it’s not as simple as “just figuring something” and second, no matter how angry you become, don’t start blaming the players.

The MLS Player’s Union is not the group playing with fire here. It’s Don Garber and the league and their clear unwillingness to even take the demands of the players seriously. Just today, Ives Galarcep reported on his blog that the negotiations are not going well and that the league is “playing hardball” and “hasn’t come close to considering some of the demands made by the players”. Labor negotiations are a two-way street and both sides must be willing to give and take in order for an acceptable middle ground to be found.

Instead of negotiating, it’s seems clear the league is instead adopting a “bully” strategy in the hopes that they will be able to break the player’s resolve. Rather than work with the players on their demands, MLS is choosing to play chicken with the future of the league and the long-term success of the sport of soccer in the US. Instead of working with the union to find a solution they will stonewall and try to win a public relations battle against players by flooding fans with various bits of nonsensical propaganda.

The goal will be to use a lockout and the potential delay or loss of the season to anger fans to the point where the players are backed into corner and must cave to the demands of the league or else be made to shoulder the blame for the fall of MLS. The league doesn’t seem to believe that the player’s could possibly hold together under the weight of this pressure, but I for one have more faith in the players’ resolve and collective backbone. MLS has every right to take this approach but don’t come crying for sympathy when your refusal to take the players seriously backfires and suddenly it’s Don Garber taking the blame for the season not starting on time.

There is absolutely no reason to believe that the Union will fold, nor is there any reason that they should. The players realize what is at stake, they realize what their stand means and I guarantee that while all of them might not like the potential consequences, they are all fully aware of the situation and are united in fighting this battle. Anyone who suggests the players don’t know what is at stake is short-sighted or just generally anti-union/anti-labor for bigger politically motivated reasons. This isn’t the players fault, if all this falls apart; the blame should be laid at the feet of Don Garber and MLS for their unwillingness to consider the demands of the players, for their unwillingness to negotiate.

I am simply asking fans to keep all this in mind as the next few weeks play out and we begin to here the anti-player rhetoric that is sure to start coming from the league either directly or indirectly. The players will need our support and they deserve our support in an effort to make their working situation better and in turn, make MLS a better league moving forward.