NEWS » o Magnanelli fouled Juraj Kucka.Domenico Berardi also scored

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. Chi Chi Gonzalez Jersey . 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. Wade Davis Jersey .com) - Wimbledon runner-up Eugenie Bouchard notched a win, while second-seeded two-time champion Ana Ivanovic, third- seeded Australian Open runner-up Dominika Cibulkova and fifth seed Sabine Lisicki all exited the draw at the Generali Ladies Linz tennis event. Kevin Ritz Jersey .com) - The Hatch Attack is back in the Southern Conference. https://www.cheaprockiesjerseys.us/1234t-vinny-castilla-jersey-rockies.html . Armstrong was given the rank of "Chevalier" -- or Knight -- in the "Legion dHonneur" in 2005, the last year of his seven consecutive Tour de France victories.MILAN - Carlos Tevez scored twice to help Juventus beat Hellas Verona 4-0 on Sunday and move five points clear at the top of Serie A.Juventus had beaten Verona 6-1 in the Italian Cup on Thursday and it appeared to be on course to better that result when Paul Pogba and Tevez put the defending champion 2-0 up inside seven minutes.However, Verona goalkeeper Rafael kept the tide at bay until shortly after the hour mark when Roberto Pereyra and Tevez completed the scoring.The best news is that you see a squad where everyone is fighting for the same objective, not just the 11 who are playing, Tevez said. Pogba does phenomenal things every day. It depends only on him how far he can go.Earlier, Napoli beat Lazio 1-0 to leapfrog the Rome side into third spot in Serie A on Sunday, while Sampdoria remained firmly in the race for the final Champions League spot with a 2-0 win at Parma.Napoli and Sampdoria moved onto 33 points, with Lazio two points behind. Fiorentina was a point further back after Khouma Babacars last-gasp goal snatched a 2-1 win at Chievo Verona.Genoa was on 28 points after coming back three times to rescue a 3-3 draw against Sassuolo.There was more disappointment for AC Milan, which lost 1-0 at home to relegation-threatened Atalanta and was whistled off the pitch after its second successive home defeat. Filippo Inzaghis men have won just one of its past six matches and visit Lazio next.Elsewhere, Udinese drew 2-2 at home to Cagliari, and Torino won 3-2 at bottom club Cesena.Juventus knew it could reach the halfway point of the season with a significant advantage over second-placed Roma, which drew at Palermo on Saturday.And it took less than two minutes to take the lead, with Pogba smashing a 25-yard thunderbolt into the bottom right corner from 25 yards.Juventus had rested Tevez and Andrea Pirlo for the cup match and the formeer made his mark in the seventh minute. Justin Morneau Jersey. Pogbas dummy allowed Alvaro Moratas cross through and Tevez curled it in.The home fans had to wait until the 66th minute to see Juventus extend its lead when Pereyra collected a fantastic through ball from Giorgio Chiellini and lifted it above Rafael.Tevez completed the scoring with his 13th goal of the season.In the lunchtime kickoff, Gonzalo Higuain scored in the 18th minute, latching on to a delightful ball from Dries Mertens before unleashing a strike into the top near corner from a tight angle.Lazio fought back and went close on several occasions, notably when Marco Parolo nodded a free kick off the crossbar.Higuain could also have scored a second but had an effort saved by Etrit Berisha before sending another inches wide of the left post.In Parma, Sampdoria struggled to carve out chances but finally broke the deadlock nine minutes into the second half when Eder rolled the ball across from the right for Gonzalo Bergessio to tap in at the back post.Samp all but sealed the result in the 71st minute. Bergessio hit the post from Joseph Alfred Duncans cross and Roberto Soriano fired home the rebound.Fiorentina looked to have lost ground in a riveting battle for third spot as it appeared to be heading for a draw in Verona but Babacar headed Joaquins cross in at the far post in stoppage time to snatch all three points.Joaquin had also had a hand in Fiorentinas 35th-minute opener, as Nenad Tomovic nodded his cross back across goal for Gonzalo Rodriguez to tap in.Sergio Pellissier levelled after Fiorentina missed several chances.Genoa also needed a last-gasp goal, with Ioannis Fetfatzidis — who also scored his sides second — converting a penalty in stoppages after Francesco Magnanelli fouled Juraj Kucka.Domenico Berardi also scored two, including a penalty, for Sassuolo. ' ' '