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. Vans Old Skool Best Price Uk . 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. Cheap Vans Old Skool For Sale . -- Henry Josey watched helplessly from the sideline last fall, rehabbing from a serious knee injury, while Missouri was getting pushed around in its first SEC season. Old Skool Vans Cheap Uk .com) - Nino Williams posted 18 points and seven rebounds, as Kansas State edged No. http://www.oldskoolclearanceuk.com/ . Chelsea took until the second half to trouble the leagues bottom team, but Schuerrle then ripped through the defence with ease at Craven Cottage to keep Jose Mourinhos side on track for the title. TORONTO -- The details of James van Riemsdyks vague injury got a little bit clearer, thanks to Maple Leafs coach Randy Carlyle. Van Riemsdyk is dealing with back spasms that are likely to cause the forward to miss his second straight game Thursday when the Carolina Hurricanes visit Air Canada Centre in Toronto. Hes considered day-to-day but theres no specific recovery time. "He did skate (Wednesday), and we felt that was an improvement," Carlyle said. "But hes kind of plateaued or flattened out here, and were not going to put him on the ice in a situation where we think were going to possibly have him have any setback." Carlyle had previously said he was "surprised" that the injury occurred and called it upper-body. He said van Riemsdyk did not suffer the injury in a game. "He got up the other morning, got to the rink, he had back spasms," Carlyle said. "Thats why it wasnt a hockey-related injury. We all know that skaters get skaters back. Its one of the things that hockey players have to deal with over the course of the season." Van Riemsdyk has five goals and an assist in his first six games of the season. He took Monday off as a so-called maintenance day and did not play Tuesday against the Minnesota Wild. The 24-year-old left Wednesdays practice early because he was "pretty stiff," according to Carlyle. Carlyle does not believe vaan Riemsdyk has a history of this kind of problem. Vans Old Skool Uk Sale. "I just think this is one-off for him, specifically," he said. "Because he has back spasms one day, is that a history? I dont know that. I dont think we can predict that yet. Its not something thats been noted in his medical file. But I would guarantee you there isnt a player in there that hasnt come to the rink with a bad back." Dealing with players being out of the lineup is nothing new for the Leafs. Theyre already without wingers Nikolai Kulemin (bone chip in right ankle) and David Clarkson (10-game suspension), enforcer Frazer McLaren (broken right pinky finger) and defenceman Mark Fraser (knee). That has meant calling up players like Josh Leivo, Trevor Smith and David Broll from the AHLs Marlies and plugging them into the lineup. Van Riemsdyks injury earlier this week just opened up another spot. "With us, weve been constantly having to make adjustments to our roster based upon the availability," Carlyle said. "Weve been dealt a few of those situations that we call adversity, but thats to be expected early in the season and every team in the league has their fair share of injuries. "For us, we have some young kids now that are stepping into the lineup who are getting an opportunity to show us what they have, and theyre trying to earn the trust of the coaching staff." ' ' '