You'd be hard pressed to find anyone in Australia who actually thinks that AFL players will go on strike. While a perverse part of me would like to see it happen - not out of malice, but out of curiosity - I think the AFL and the AFLPA ultimately understand that footy is in good shape at the moment, and with a few concessions and tweaks, the game will continue to grow and prosper.

That said, the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) negotiations are off to a rocky start, and over the weekend, AFLPA boss Matt Finnis discussed - albeit in a non-threatening manner - the possibility of court action to fight what could be an unreasonably low salary cap.

It's no secret that recent trends in the AFL have followed those of US professional leagues, and a labor problem is just another example. Player power has achieved some remarkable things in the US, particularly in Major League Baseball, where the union - with powerful lawyer Marvin Miller at the helm - scored numerous victories over management, and still remains the only major American sport without a salary cap.

Of course strikes and lockouts can be public relations disasters for players and leagues. They affect attendances and TV deals, as well as the precious relationships between teams and fans. It can take years for a sport to recover, as baseball and ice hockey have discovered.

Because the AFL does not have private ownership of clubs, things might appear to be different from the big American leagues. However, if you think of Andrew Demetriou - said to be running a "benevolent dictatorship" by Jeff Kennett - along the same lines as influential owners like the NFL's Jerry Jones and Robert Kraft, the concept of a bitter fight between players and management here in Australia is not that far-fetched.

Players v owners in the USA

1972 MLB strike

Time missed: 13 days, 86 games.

Why noteworthy: The first strike in Major League Baseball history.

Issue(s): Players wanted a bigger pension fund and the right to salary arbitration.

Result: Owners agreed to add $500,000 to the pension fund and allow salary arbitration into the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Winner: Players

Quirky fact: Detroit played one more game than Boston, and the Tigers won the American League East by ½ game over the Red Sox.

1987 NFL strike

Time missed: One week of regular season games, although the owners brought in "replacement" players who played three weeks of the season.

Why noteworthy: The aforementioned replacement players.

Issue(s): Players wanted free agency without compensation and more of a slice of NFL revenue.

Result: Owners forced players' hand by using the replacements, and the players returned to work, with little gained. The NFLPA disbanded shortly afterward, although it did reform and strengthen, later gaining more access to free agency.

Winner: League/Owners

Quirky fact: Current New Orleans head coach Sean Payton - who led the Saints to a Super Bowl win two years ago - was a replacement quarterback for the Chicago Bears.

1994-95 MLB strike

Time missed: 232 days, parts of two seasons, the 1994 World Series.

Why noteworthy: First professional sport to lose an entire post-season because of a labor dispute.

Issue(s): Owners proposed a salary cap and new revenue sharing model. When the players baulked and negotiations stalled, the owners withheld $8 million from pensions and benefit plans.

Result: Supreme Court judge ruled against the owners who were preparing to use replacement players. No salary cap was instituted.

Winner: Players

Quirky fact: Ruined the best season in Montreal Expos' history. The Expos, long a league doormat, were 74-40 and headed for postseason play when the strike occurred.

1998-99 NBA lockout

Time missed: Each team missed 32 games. The All-Star game was cancelled.

Why noteworthy: First time the NBA had missed games because of a labor dispute.

Issue(s): A clause allowed owners to "re-open" and renegotiate the CBA. Owners wanted to limit player salaries and eliminate exceptions to the salary cap. Players not only objected, but wanted no ceiling on salaries and an increase to the minimum wage.

Result: Commissioner David Stern played hardball, threatening to cancel the season, and the players' union capitulated.

Winner: League/owners. Players returned to work with only a few minor gains, including a minimum salary raise. The owners got a cap on player salaries and a new rookie pay scale.

Quirky fact: Michael Jordan retired for the second time in early 1999, just before the delayed start to the season.

2004-05 NHL lockout

Time missed: 310 days, a full season of games.

Why noteworthy: First time a major professional league in North America cancelled an entire season.

Issue(s): NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman proposed a number of ways to cut costs, including players' salaries linked to league revenues, and a strict salary cap. Counter-offers by the players were rejected.

Result: Players received assurances of 54% of league revenues, as well as guaranteed contracts. Owners got a $39 million salary cap, when players had originally asked for $49 million.

Winner: Both sides, although it was a bit of a Pyrrhic victory. The NHL lost its TV deal with ESPN, and only in the last two years has it shown positive ratings growth.

Quirky facts: The 2005 draft - with no previous season to base a worst-to-first order on - relied on a weighted lottery system, which ended up delivering superstar Sidney Crosby to the Pittsburgh Penguins. ESPN turned to poker to fill the void left by the NHL with spectacular results. Televised poker is now huge.