Locked Out : Long Term effects of the NFL Lockout

I'm a big football fan. Huge. I'm a fantasy football addict, and my normal Sunday from Sept to January consists of watching two games on TV, five or six more on my computer, while periodically refreshing my players stats and, if I get a chance, checking to see how my Bears are doing. So far, the NFL lockout has stretched 113 days, longer than many people, myself included, predicted it would last. The start date for team minicamps and preseason games are creeping dangerously closer, and the season is legitimately in jeopardy. With that being the case, here are a few pro's and con's I see evolving if the current situation is not resolved soon.

Pro's

The unlikely yet possible loss of the football season may positively affect the other popular sports, as NFL fans may now seek out entertainment through other sports. However, I find a complete shift like this unlikely. If you preferred NFL football over college before, the absence of a season will not change your tastes.

The NFL currently has around 2,000 players on a team roster, along with a large free agent base. Even small end salaries in the league are in the six figures, so many players are not hurting for money, even with their current unemployment. Many of these 2,000 players are happy residents of the towns they live in, and the extra time they may have during this lockout may allow them to improve the area they live in.

As a third positive of a lost season, it means we will not have to suffer through the agonizing back and forth process that Brett Favre will ultimately go through before deciding that he wants to play football again.

Con's

The lockout gives Brett Favre more time to recuperate and rest his body before making a comeback for the 2012-2013 season.

As the opposite of the second Pro I stated, the public will find itself immersed with many young, rich and undisciplined football players, some of whom are likely to end up in legal troubles, hopefully not the sort that Donte Stallworth has gotten into before.

Ultimate fan boredom will sweep the nation. This is a country that lives for the power, passion and glory that only football can bring. We live for the last second TD catches to win the Super Bowl, the crushing hit on 4th and 1 to force a turnover on downs, and the flashy spins, twirls and flat out speed of an electric running back. Take away football, and you take away the livelihood of so many Americans.




Overall, the lockouts only benefit may be the missed opportunity for a preseason, which is widely uncared for by football fans throughout the nation. Hopefully the lockout ends quickly, so we can all get back to watching what we love, whether it be from a couch in our parents house, or the nosebleeds at our favorite hometown stadium.