The Structural Balance Property As it Applies To An NFL Contract Dispute
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/columnist/mike-jones/2018/09/06/steelers-leveon-bell-contract-fantasy/1213455002/
This past Thursday the National Football League’s (NFL) season kicked off. Players across the league took the field and competed on behalf of their teams. However, one player was notably absent. Le’veon Bell, the running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers, was missing from the field as a result of a contract dispute with the Steelers organization. Now, many players get into disputes with their teams, but Bell is no ordinary player; he’s probably the best running back in the league, and, without him, the Steelers are clearly missing a key component of their offense. As he stands to make over fourteen million dollars this year, it’s easy to roll your eyes and call him selfish for continuing this dispute into the season. However, you have to consider that for yet another year the Steelers are offering him only a one year contract; a one-year contract would offer him virtually no security at all if he gets injured, and injuries are extremely common for running backs. A contract for multiple years, on the other hand, would provide a player with security and consistent income in the case of an injury. So, essentially, the proposed contract would be another one-year contract for Bell, who believes he has more than proved that he has earned a multi-year contract. Evidence would support him in this instance: he has consistently performed among the best running backs in the NFL over the last several years. Also, he knows if accepts this deal then the Steelers will run him nonstop as they have in the past, affording more possibilities for injury. While fourteen million dollars is a lot of money, it’s actually a strategic move by the Steelers to offer him this deal. They know how frequently running backs get injured in the NFL. Why would they potentially sacrifice their limited amount of capital on a player that is likely to get injured? And so, the two parties remain at this standstill even as the NFL season starts.
In my Networks class we recently learned about a phenomenon called the Structural Balance Property. It begins by establishing the existence of a graph of nodes that are all connected by edges. This graph can be something like a classroom, with children representing the nodes, and their relationships with one another representing the edges (connections between the nodes). The Structural Balance Property assumes that the nodes have either a positive or negative relationship with one another. This property states that if there exists three nodes with edges between one another, then there are potentially stable and unstable combinations that can occur. If there exists three people, or nodes, who all have positive relationships with one another, then the graph is stable. In addition, if there are two negative relationships and one positive relationship in a triad it is also considered stable (consider two friends with a mutual disdain for a third person). However, if there exists three negative relationships or one negative relationship then a certain amount of instability is introduced. As an example of the latter, imagine a person who has two friends who dislike each other intensely; that would certainly introduce a lot of instability into their relationships.
We can apply the Structural Balance Property to the situation discussed earlier. To begin, it’s clear that at this point that Le’veon Bell and the Pittsburgh Steelers’ relationships with one another are certainly negative. So who’s the third node introduced into this graph? None other than the Steelers’ fan base. Consider their position: they definitely have a positive relationship with the team they have cheered for their entire lives. Steelers supporters even have a reputation as a more rowdy fanbase who live and die by their teams wins and losses, so to speak. However, Steelers fans also have a positive relationship with Le’veon Bell, a running back who has brought tremendous success to their beloved team over the past five seasons. In fact, he’s arguably the best player on the team. So, there are two negative relationships and only one positive relationship between these nodes, which, according to the Structural Balance Property, creates a stressful trio of relationships. And this stress is indeed apparent in the Steelers fanbase, as is made clear through their social media presence. In order to correct this stress that has been created, these fans have begun picking sides between Bell and the Steelers organization. Some have rallied behind Bell and are furious at their organization for not paying him what he has earned over the past several years. However, even more fans have rallied behind their Steelers, and are equally as frustrated with Bell for not simply taking the egregious amount of money. Some of these fans even voice the idea that they are the ones who pay Bell’s salary, and he owes it to the fanbase. Thus, you have an example of the Structural Balance Property in which a graph with only one negative connection has lead to significant stress among the nodes. In this instance, this third node has felt pressure to correct the unstable triangle, leading to the attempted creation of another negative connection.