In many recent player negotiations we have had very few options. Player managers and players have had the strongest hand because they knew that we really needed them and there was no sense of urgency on their part. They could take their time and ultimately choose if our offer was the best fit for them.
There was no fear of missing out because nobody else was in the mix. Fear of loss is controlled by a primal part of the brain called the amygdala. It controls the fight or flight instincts that causes us to react quickly and is much stronger than the cerebral cortex which among other things analyses potential gains and came along much later in human evolution. In almost all cases you will fight harder to keep something that you thought you had than something that you may get.
By negotiating with several parties simultaneously, Dragons negotiators are telling respective player agents that if they don?t pull their finger out or at least negotiate in good faith, they may miss out.
fear of loss is used often in marketing and is sometimes even artificially introduced in order to strengthen a negotiation position.
The fact that it has been IMO, employed by the Dragons at a time when the teams seems more attractive due to the signings of Widdop and Thompson is either highly serendipitous or very shrewd negotiating.
