"Into that void stepped an "outsider"-a trial lawyer from Washington, D.C., named DeMaurice Smith-whom ESPN called the man with "the toughest job in sports." The players had less than $300 million, a string of failed strikes behind them, and the very real prospect of being steamrolled. On top of everything, the players desperately needed to end the owners' unilateral right under the old deal to add as many games to the regular season as they wished."
"But this time, the fight would not be linear. The new leader pushed his players to battle on every front-public opinion, Congress, and most of all, in the one place owners thought they couldn't be touched: their money. Out of that fight came one of the most unlikely weapons in sports labor history-an insurance policy against a lockout."
"The owners had walked away from a collective bargaining deal they had signed just two years earlier, demanding pay cuts, slashed pensions, and two extra games for free. They had stockpiled a $4 billion lockout fund and were ready to shut the game down for a year if that is what it took. It was the first, and only, of its kind."
Gene Upshaw's sudden death left the players' union vulnerable. DeMaurice Smith, a trial lawyer, became union leader facing under $300 million, a history of failed strikes, and owners demanding pay cuts, reduced pensions, and two extra unpaid games. Smith directed a multi-front campaign that targeted public opinion, Congress, and owners' finances. In summer 2009 owners had amassed a $4 billion lockout fund and prepared to halt the league for a year. Players developed an unprecedented insurance policy against a lockout to blunt owner leverage and prevent domination by billionaire team owners.
Read at Fast Company
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