Article: Intro to ESFL Owners Meetings

FLAT GROUNDS, January 9: Negotiatiors for the 12 ESFL franchises have gathered for the 32nd annual Owners Governing Association Meetings, known colloquially as the 'Owners Meetings'. Official bargaining is set to begin tonight around 10pm, though unofficial bartering has been taking place all this past week. With the results of the opening round of the playoffs now in, the relative weights of the franchises' opinions have been decided:

4 VOTES: New York Sharks, New York Seacooks, North Bay Polar Bears, Independence Walkers

3 VOTES: United Secondary Football Players' Union

2 VOTES: Long Island Amazin', Ithaca Champions, Florida Panthers, Buffalo Bulls, Chicago Madmen, Boston Conquistadors, Detroit Gamblers, Philadelphia Geysers

Prognosticators and team officials speaking on the condition of anonymity confirm that this years' sessions could prove to be the most important in recent memory in shaping the future of the league. With Western expansion officially set to take effect starting with the 2014 season, (though most expect that to be delayed until 2015), questions abound on the topics of re-alignment, an expansion draft, and a 'stimulus package' that would allow the expansion organizations to operate competitively before they have their own consistent revenue streams.

Questions not directly related to expansion are also on the agenda. Some observers note buzz about a possible 'mutiny' occurring within the typical blocs of power. In recent years, Sharks owner Michael Barnett has been able to rely consistently on the votes of the Seacooks, Bulls, Madmen, and the Players' Union; his nemesis James Rasbey, Jr. has organized a counter-power bloc, organizing together the lower-revenue organizations such as the Panthers, North Bay, and oftentimes Ithaca, Boston, and Philadelphia.

Sitting on the fence has been Long Island, led by enigmatic owner/operator Michael Harrington, Jr. He may be seeing his opportunity to organize a 'third way' initiative. Most proposals for a Harrington-led unity bloc involve ditching the preferred status for teams that qualify for the semifinals; currently, of course, such organizations receive double the voting power of those who do not qualify. Critics argue this reinforces the disproportionate power of the higher-revenue organizations in the crafting of league policy. While Harrington's Amazin' have never placed lower than third in revenue since reliable statistics began to be published by watchdog organizations thirty years ago (and likely never did before than), they have fallen significantly behind both the archrival Sharks and rising Seacooks in both profitability and interest in recent years, and are concerned that the problem will only be exacerbated when the Seacooks open a brand new, 72,000 seat, $850 million, multi-purpose stadium in Hempstead, NY come 2014.