CBC Digital Archives

Playing 'scab' ball in 1987 for the NFL

It's always about the money. The big business of professional sports has meant frequent battles between players and owners for a piece of the multimillion-dollar pie. The 2004 hockey lockout was the first in a decade, but over the years sports labour disputes have plagued professional football, baseball, basketball and hockey — resulting in shortened seasons and furious fans.

Players from the "real" Chicago Bears plead with their fans to boycott the football game between the "fake" Bears and "phony" Minnesota Vikings as heard in this radio clip. Two weeks into the 1987 NFL strike, the league's owners have hired replacement football players, ensuring the games continue whatever the cost. That cost may be high according to sports writer Larry Weisman. Quoting NFL Players Association Chairman Gene Upshaw, Weisman tells CBC's Mark Lee how "NFL has always meant prime rib, now they're serving hotdogs." 
. The 1987 NFL strike lasted 25 days from Sept. 20 to Oct. 15, 1987. The contract negotiations pitted ex-football player Gene Upshaw of the NFLPA against the veteran negotiator Jack Donlan for the owners.
. The players returned to work without a new contract, ending the 1987 strike. It was a victory for the league's 28 owners. The owners adamantly refused to budge on the issue of free agency, which would have allowed players to play for their desired team.


. During the 25-day strike, 15 per cent of the real players crossed the picket line. Star players like San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joe Montana continued to play, weakening the NFLPA stance in the negotiations.

. Replacement teams were made up with new and veteran football players.

. In 2000, Warner Bros. released a movie based on the 1987 NFL strike. The Replacements starred Gene Hackman as the team's coach, Brett Cullen as the quarterback that goes on strike and Keanu Reeves as the "scab" who replaces the star quarterback.
Medium: Radio
Guest(s): Joe Robbie, Larry Weisman
Host: Mark Lee
Duration: 9:00

Last updated: April 23, 2012

Page consulted on March 27, 2013

All Clips from this Topic

Related Content

1987: 'Black Monday' hits world's stock marke...

An outbreak of panic-selling sparks the biggest one-day market crash in history.

1994: Baseball strike halts best-ever Expos t...

The 1994 Montreal Expos are the best team in baseball. But a strike ruins everything.

Grey Cup: The Fans and the Fanfare

Heroes, underdogs and last-minute shockers make the Grey Cup the most celebrated event in Cana...

Just For Kicks: Soccer in Canada

It's been called "the beautiful game." Soccer, the most popular sport in the world, draws an u...

1987: Margaret Laurence dies at 60

On Jan. 5, 1987, after months of coping with advanced lung cancer, Margaret Laurence takes her...

An unforgettable fumble for Robert Stanfield

Photographer Doug Ball recalls taking an election-changing photo of Tory leader Robert Stanfie...