NFL CBA Expiration... Lockout?

The NFL

When Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers triumphed over their competition, thePittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV, there were far more implications than who gets to bring home the Lombardi Trophy. In fact, the broadcast of Super Bowl XLV became the most-watched program in TV History racking up an average of 111 million viewers and 162.9 million viewers in total over the course of the game. Football has quickly become the most popular sport in this country and subsequently the most profitable, hauling in an annual revenue somewhere in the neighborhood of 9 Billion dollars. However, the problems surrounding the NFL lately have focused on how to divide up that money between the NFL and NFLPA (NFL Players Association). This dispute, which has loomed over every season since 2008, when the NFL owners opted out of the 1993 CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) has been carried into this year's off season as the focal point for NFL actions. During the super bowl, the NFLPA took out a 30 second ad that displayed the message, “Let us/them Play,” throughout its duration; I wish it was that simple.

The Dispute

For the past several months, every single one of those 162,900,000 fans have sat on edge as labor talks pressed onward. While the course of this dispute has been swept up in a media frenzy, many notable figures such as the President himself, have begun to weigh in; “You’ve got owners, most of whom are worth close to $1 billion. You’ve got players who are making millions are dollars. My working assumption at a time when people are having to cut back, compromise and worry about making the mortgage and paying for their kids’ college education is that the two parties should be able to work it out without the President of the United States intervening... I’m a big football fan, but I also think for an industry that is making $9 billion a year in revenue, they can figure out how to divide it up in a sensible way and be true to their fans who are the ones who, obviously, allow for all of the money that they are making,” – (President Obama) As is the case with many large businesses, the NFL as a whole, players and owners, showed a complete disregard for their customers or fans with the most recent development. It was a bleak weekend for NFL Owners, players, coaches and especially fans across the board. As of Saturday March 14, 2011, the NFLPA is (at least temporarily) no longer the exclusive collective bargaining agent of NFL players. What this means?........... LOCKOUT

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What is a lockout?- a management action resisting employee's demands; employees are barred from entering the workplace until they agree to terms.

- Although the NFL has effectively been lead into a lockout, this will have no effect on whether or not there will be a season this September IF the Players and NFL can agree to a new CBA before then.

Out of the Conference room and into the Court Room

When talks began, the NFLPA, represented by executive director, DeMaurice Smith, and the NFL represented by commissioner Rodger Goodell met face to face at the table. When that failed, they turned to mediation, an alternative dispute resolution that calls for a mediator to watch over and facilitate discussions. However, 16 days at the office of a presidentially appointed federal mediator couldn't stop the Lockout from arriving. Within the course of a couple days following the NFL's declaration of a lockout, a class-action lawsuit has been brought on on behalf of the NFLPA against the NFL by 10 players including Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and Peyton Manning. As shocking as it is, three of the NFL's best players will now be serving as Plaintiffs. The court date has been set for April 6, 2011 as the dispute now lies in the hands of U.S. District Judge David Doty (who has presided in Minniapolis since 1993 and oversaw the last NFL labor dispute.)

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/625954-nfl-labor-talks-the-latest-news-surrounding-the-drama-in-washington-dc/page/2)

In the end, I can see no possible outcome in which the NFL will miss the next season due to the absence of a CBA or a lockout. If we have learned anything from past work stoppages in other sports such as the NHL in 2004, it is that it will certainly put a damper on the future growth and prosperity of the sport. The undeniable truth is that one side will have to give in eventually… for the fans' sake, I hope that moment is sooner than later but at least for now, all we can do is wait.