@MacBatman31 Honestly, I don’t think there is any ideal split of the pot. Just that players should get as much as possible. The negotiation is how it gets divided up. They all have to think about lots of things in coming to an agreement. How much of the season can they lose? When will fans be so turned off they won’t come back? How much are they willing to lose in order to make more later on? How long can they hold out before someone starts a competing league? When will the other side cave?
So many unknowns and fans are just a part of it. They know how many people will come back right away and how many will come back in a year or two, and how many will never come back. They know new fans are being born all the time.
At some point, the losses will outweigh any gain they can make through negotiations, and at that point, they will settle. It’s not up to us to decide what is worth it. We don’t count. It’s only the negotiating parties that will decide that. I doubt if they really care very much what fans think.