And although he chose to focus on telephony, he has treated it as a bargaining chip in his financial game, to be sold to Germany's Mannesmann to help pay for his bid.

ECONOMIST: Meet the mechanic

Rather than address the challenge of improving the collective-bargaining agreement for the benefit of the game, the union-financed lawsuit attacks virtually every aspect of the current system including the draft, the salary cap and free-agency rules, which collectively have been responsible for the quality and popularity of the game for nearly two decades.

WSJ: Roger Goodell: Football's Future If the Players Win

The phrase collective bargaining emerged to describe their new role in the game.

FORBES: Entrepreneurs are the New Labor: Part I

The NFL argues that this is the end game the union has wanted all along and they have engaged in sporadic and half-hearted bargaining, only to be able to decertify in March upon a lockout.

FORBES: NFL Labor Pains: An Issue Of Trust

The NFL will present a proposal including the 18-game season and a more modest rollback of the percentage share allocated to players from the previous collective bargaining agreement.

FORBES: Proposal To Extend NFL Season Could Be Key To Avoiding Lockout