Feeling Locked Out

How dare they?

How can they do this at a time like this? We need this.

Just give the players the money and get on with it!

These and other compelling arguments can be found on the tips of the tongues of many NFL fans that are tired of the lockout (5 days in and counting...). What many do not realize is that they are watching a two headed monster fight for the same meal and we are not looking at the bigger picture. Fans are the ones that are suffering right now and it will just add to their suffering if this lockout continues.

The cost of education and recent hikes in gas prices should be telling of the burdens that regular people face everyday. The average working man will likely never see a million dollars in his bank account at 22 years old. There are no endorsements for the guy that mows the lawn or picks up trash everyday. Yet we hear of the millionaires and billionaires fighting it out to split money that some countries can only imagine in GNP while promising that they are doing it for the fans.

REALLY?....

Let us look at the issue because both sides make points and they are understandable. Players are worried about the effects on their health with longer seasons as well as retired player's expenses and the whole rookie pay scale is ridiculously out of hand. Whoever thought that paying out millions for an unproven star was a good idea must never have learned about being cautious or never bought something at a bargain store. Sometimes you get a good deal but that 1 dollar item you bought will come back to bite you in the rear. On the owners issues they fear losses will occur with the increase of player salaries and construction on stadiums. Another issue is the extended season which players are strictly against if they are still making the same money with guarantee-less contracts.

These issues are all understandable and need to be worked out but the lockout was an entirely avoidable event. The squabbling and finger pointing is childish and even federal mediators can not get these two sides to sit down and cooperate to handle business like gentlemen. Each side is saying the other will not listen or the other side is not providing information. The players rejected the offer that the owners offered on the last day of negotiations before the lockout and the owners will not give the players all of the information that they requested.

GROW UP....

The biggest problem right now are the deceptive practices that the owners have undertaken to protect themselves. The owners 4 Billion dollars in guaranteed TV revenues that they were using as a cushion for the lockout has been taken from them. Pretty tragic, aside from the fact that they are financially set anyway. Knowing that the owners set themselves up to get paid whether or not the fans had football in 2010-11 does not sit well with many. It is selfish, devious and just foul play. To claim that they need more money to make things better for fans but pulling a move like this is a slap to the face of players and fans.

TO THE FANS

The power to make or break the league ultimately lies with the fans. We have the power to refuse to pay for season tickets or even attend a game. It is the likely fortune of gifted athletes that they are paid so extensively for something that can be done (on a different level) by 4 or 5 year olds. Though athletes put their bodies on the line and owners are making hefty investments in the industries, it is still their duty to provide ample dividends to those that put money into their bank accounts. Sports come in and out of rotation as evidenced by the decline in baseball and boxing, two of the biggest sports in earlier decades. If fans choose, they can bring a world of hurt to the NFL or even switch to leagues that are more stable all together. Football can be played anywhere and developmental leagues would be able to benefit from the infighting that is now going on in the NFL.

The upcoming NFL season may be shortened or disadvantaged because owners have locked out the players. If this happens then what will be the image of the industry? We should not be put through this with all of the more important world issues on hand.

Though an agreement may get done in the coming weeks or months, it is very disappointing to find out what has been going on for the past couple of years. The burgeoning business of the NFL has created a fight over money that should be proportionally shared out to players and owners. This lockout should never have happened and it just goes to show how much more likely we are to think negatively of the league and its treatment of the fan base.