A new collective bargaining deal has been reached between Major League Soccer(MLS) and its player union. This deal was agreed upon just days before the old collective bargaining deal was up, thereby discontinuing the anticipated player lockout of the 2010 season. There will be soccer played in America in 2010. The man ultimately responsible for making this unlikely deal happen is mediator George Cohen. This mediator worked extremely hard to makes sure both sides, the league and the players, got what they wanted out of this collective bargaining agreement. There are some interesting aspects of this new deal, some of which have never been used in professional sports. By using this technique, George Cohen was able to make both sides agree on a deal, and now there will be soccer played. The exact details of this agreement have yet to be released to the public, but the public does already know some things about this new deal. First of all, the players will be making more money. This was a very big issue with the old collective bargaining agreement. The players were not happy with their salaries, as they were being paid a lot less than any other professional athletes were. In order to pay the players more, the teams will now be allowed to expend more money into their players, reportedly going from $2.3m to $2.6m per team. Next, the deal consists of creating a minimum salary of $40k for the players. This may not sound like a lot compared to other professional athletes, but last year some players were making a salary of $12,100 per year. This minimum salary will result in more players being paid more money. Another change to this collective bargaining deal is that they players will get many more guaranteed contracts. This gives players the peace-of-mind that they will get paid their money no matter what happens to them. It is much easier to play and compete at a high level when you know that your money is guaranteed. This was one of the most highly demanded parts of the contract for the players. The last major change made in this new collective bargaining deal is that there will be no free agency, and instead a re-entry draft. This means that when a players contract is up, their team will no longer hold their rights. This can be good or bad for both the players and the teams. It will be much harder to keep a player that you want to keep, but a lot easier to get rid of someone you don't want. On the players' side, this move will result in more money for them if they have performed well on the field. The players no longer under contract will now be entered into a re-entry draft, where other teams can draft and sign this players. This is a move that is not present in any other American professional sports, so the MLS will have to wait and see how it works out. Both the players and the league agreed on this collective bargaining agreement, so hopefully it will work out well for both of them.
I think that this is the best thing that could've happened to the MLS. We are in a time now when the popularity of soccer in America is rising thanks to stars who play on our soil like Landon Donovan and David Beckam. A player lockout would've diminished the rising popularity of the sport, and I don't believe that it would've been able to heal. This new deal benefits both the player union and the league, which is what everyone wants when trying to reach a deal. I see this collective bargaining agreement as the beginning of a bright future for professional soccer in America. Fan support of American soccer is at an all time high, with huge fan bases in cities such as Seattle and Los Angeles. MLS franchises in these cities have done pretty well, leading people to believe that franchises can do as well in other cities in the future. A beautiful new stadium is nearly finished in Philadelphia, where a new MLS franchise will be located. According to a soccer source, fans in Philadelphia,"Can't wait to cheer and sing their heart out for the upcoming events." This type of enthusiasm and passion about soccer is a new thing, and the MLS needs to build off of it. That is exactly why this collective bargaining agreement is such a big deal. The American population is ready and excited to take soccer into their lives, and the MLS is going to give it to them. This new agreement is allowing the MLS to finally become one of the major American sports, now the MLS just needs to use it to their advantage. They have already started by creating this new franchises in new cities and improving the current franchises. This collective bargaining deal is great for both sides of the negotiations, and it has laid down the path for professional soccer in America to become a major sport.
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