Labor agreements for the National Football League, National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball will expire next year, which has many fearing contentious negotiations and the possibility of strikes and lockouts. Representatives for players' unions said that they were preparing for lockouts as owners try to reduce player salaries, and that a fair deal was higher priority than not striking. Attendance and sponsorships have fallen due to the economy, and owners and managers are saying that they cannot afford to pay the same high wages that they have been. The average salary for the NFL, NBA and MLB ranges from $1.8 million to $5 million, with some making much more and some much less. Many owners would like to see the same rollbacks that occurred in the National Hockey League, but that also cost them an entire season. Talk are expected to begin sometime after this fall.
See "Players in U.S. sports leagues prepare for lockouts", Ben Klayman, Reuters, May 23, 2010