by Ray Glier

Filed under: Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons, Panthers, Saints

The sides are being drawn for the NFL‘s labor battle.

Which side are you on? The one with billionaire owners or the one with millionaire players?

The owners got some help Wednesday with the annual release of the Forbes magazine value ratings of the NFL and its teams.

According to the magazine, NFL team values fell 2 percent last season to an average of $1.02 billion, the first decline since Forbes began tracking the league’s finances in 1998. Twenty-one of the league’s 32 teams saw their value drop.

Two percent? Doesn’t sound like much, but the owners can run with it as they pursue a new labor deal with the players.