You can’t turn on an NFL preseason game without hearing the words “replacement officials” within the first 10 minutes of the broadcast. There has been much talk and controversy regarding the NFLRA strike, and the replacement refs taking over the officiating duties for the time being. While many people think that the NFLRA is just holding out for more money, that is not entirely true. The bargaining has to do with many other factors besides the economics. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell  also characterized the differences as “philosophical.” The NFL’s proposal includes making some refs full-time (currently all game officials work part-time with outside jobs) and also adding more crews. Goodell went on to say that “Increasing the pool of officials would allow the league to replace individual officials or even entire crews that are not performing well.” It is rumored that the NFL wants to add three new officiating crews this season to start preparing younger refs for the years to come. Considering the fact that a lot of the league’s top officials are aging, this might not be a bad idea! NFLRA lead negotiator Mike Arnold stated that the union was open to discussing such issues but any proposal to increase the number of officials while decreasing the pay for current refs was not viable. It’s possible that the replacement officials might have to start off the regular season as well, if no deal can be made before the first game on September 5. (more…)