<h1>What the NFL, Referee Union Issue Teaches Us</h1>
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&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;I am not a sports fan.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Honestly, I think all of you get paid way too much.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Also, the Owners and Organization have shown over and over again how outwardly greedy they are in their actions.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;I guess I lost a lot of my interest in professional sports, when the Seattle Super Sonics went on strike.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Yes, it was that long ago.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;From there it all seems downhill for the operations.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Probably the first time I heard of anyone making more than a few hundred grand a year average going on strike.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;I guess it really drove the point home for me, that it is all about money.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Not, "the love of the game!" as they would tell you in every commercial or biography.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;When you love to do something, you will do it for free.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It is this that is taken advantage of in that industry and what the Owners have leveraged to become wealthier and wealthier, while their modern gladiators are tossed aside like 2 year old cellphones.<br /><br />  
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;This is all just to lead up to my real point here, the recent referee issues.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Strike after strike these unions are killing the games.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And rightly so.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;They are further exposing the greed of the owners and organization of the NFL and other professional sporting organizations.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The employees are requsting slightly better compensation, which in our commerce driven society equates to respect from one's employer.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Sure they can tell you you're appreciated all day, but having it reflected in your paycheck and benefits is where you actually feel it.<br /><br />
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The referee's role is Thankless, with a capital "T".&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;They make calls that have one fan base cheering and another looking for blood.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Can you not spare some of your precious earnings for the sake of their personal sanity?&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;You can see by the calls being made already, that the use of less experienced referees is not going to make the fan base who provides you with your wealth happy.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;There is already considerable backlash starting.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It is now causing the NFL to HAVE to go to the table.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It even puts the referees' Union in a better bargaining position overall.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Congratulations, to whomever was the HR or Union consultant on this debacle.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;You just put the NFL in the position of having to accept, rather than negotiate.<br /><br /> 
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;What's the point and how does it relate?&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Well, had the NFL as an organization recognized the value of that specific workforce, they would've conceded the requests right from the start.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Now they are essentially set to have to accept any requests made by the referee's Union.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Many companies and organizations do this exact thing.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;They underestimate the direct value of a specific group of workers or specific worker.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It really just shows how as managers they have no idea the actual value of the contribution of the pieces in their organization.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;This is pretty common in the IT industry as well.<br /><br />
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Many IT companies offer low to median compensation for skills that take months to find and place.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;They will sit and complain they can't find properly skilled workers, while not being ready or able to put a highly competitive offer on the table for the candidates they actually need.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Just look at Apple's recent Maps catastrophe.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Had they put a value on people using their phone for navigation, perhaps they would've hired better or more people to actually pull off their recent Houdini attempt with the Maps.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Now they are running around the market offering an average salary, when they need the All-Stars not the average.  Who's running that show?&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Because they need a reality check on the IT employment market and the local Cost of Living in that area.<br /><br />
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Worst is that once again this could all have been avoided, had the proper focus been applied.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Had greed not won out over logic and humanity, perhaps football fans wouldn't be looking at a hacked Superbowl lineup.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Perhaps companies would get the innovation they want, while creating truly mind blowing products that make us drop open our wallets.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Perhaps iPhone users wouldn't be asking Android users, "How do we get there?"<br /><br />  &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Instead, we will all live under their greed and and mediocrity it creates.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Look at those in your organization.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Know their contribution and its relative value internally and externally.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Then decide if you want to save your extra bit of wealth or if you might make more giving some of it to your valued employees.<br /><br />

John Reagan