25 Reasons We Won't Have NFL Football in 2011
In the year 2012, the world will end. What a joke.
The sad part is, more people believe that junk than the fact that the NFL could not have a season in 2011 due to a lockout.
What would you do on Sunday afternoons? How would you spend your weekends in January? The first Sunday in February would turn into a day of mourning.
It's going to be ugly: No football means local economies will suffer greatly. It's estimated that each NFL city will lose up to $160 million and 115,000 jobs would be lost.
The owners have nothing to lose while the players and fans are left to suffer.
Start planning, start preparing, find a new sport and find a new hobby, because it's coming.
Here are 25 reasons why we won't have football in 2011:
25. CBA Expires
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If you haven't heard by now, sorry to break it to you.
The NFL's Collective Bargaining Agreement is set to expire March 4, 2011. If no agreement is made, there will be no NFL games until one is agreed upon.
24. Owners Want Bigger Share
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The owners aren't happy with their share of the revenue. They feel they were cheated back in 2006, and that's why they opted out two years early.
They want the players to give up 18 percent of the league's revenue set aside for player salaries.
23. New Stadiums
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Owners like Jerry Jones who spent big money on new stadiums believe they deserve more money for the financial risks they're taking.
That's one of the big reasons why the owners are demanding a bigger piece of the revenue pie.
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22. Owners Won't Open Books
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The players have said they are willing to work with the owners if they open up their books and show them that they truly need more money.
The owners have refused to do so.
21. Owners Get Paid Regardless
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The owners can still make a profit without a season.
They have a deal made with several television stations where they'd get paid about $4.5 billion anyway.
20. Owners Spend Less
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If there is a lockout, the owners wouldn't have to pay the $4.4 billion to the players they would otherwise have to if there was a season.
19. Fans Are the Real Losers
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Neither side is really too focused on the people that actually make it all happen: the fans.
While two groups of millionaires fight for pennies, the fan is left out in the cold.
18. 2 Extra Games
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No CBA means no health care for active players.
The average career length in the NFL is three-and-a-half years. It takes three years to qualify for five years of health care after that player retires. An 18 game season would make that harder to accomplish because of injuries.
17. Franchise Tag
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Players obviously want to get rid of the franchise tag. It may pay well, but in a game where a knee could give out at any time, it offers no security.
There are players few and far between who accept the tag without complaint.
16. Rookie Wage Scale
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Both sides want this to happen. It would save the owners money and veterans feel cheated by high rookie salaries.
The players will choose to actually use this as leverage against the owners until an agreement can be made.
15. Players Can Take Matter To Court
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If a lockout does occur, the players would gain leverage in the court of law. That's exactly where they would take their case: Washington.
14. Players Gain Freedom
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Some players may not even mind a lockout because of the freedom it would bring. The league wouldn't drug test players.
One league source even said, "It's gonna be an old fashioned Smoke In for some guys. They'll be in pot heaven." Ricky Williams demands a lockout.
13. Nothing Says NFL Like Destruction
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From Plaxico Burress to Michael Vick, the NFL always seems to be associated with trouble.
The NFL is the most popular sport in America. Sure fans love the hard hits and elite athletes, but the drama is equally interesting. Just ask Terrell Owens.
12. Players' Lack of Respect for Roger Goodell
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When Goodell made his rounds to NFL training camps last offseason, he wasn't received too kindly.
The Browns ended up calling him Roger the Dodger for failing to answer their questions about the CBA. The Colts cussed out Goodell so bad that Jeff Saturday ended the meeting.
11. Players' Lack of Respect for Owners
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The players just can't understand how the owners believe that they are the ones at risk.
Football players are the ones who put their bodies on the line every week while the owners sit in their press boxes and count money.
10. Owners' Lack of Respect for DeMaurice Smith
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The owners don't think much of Smith.
They believe he's just a big talker who doesn't have the business knowledge to get a deal done.
9. Roger Goodell vs. DeMaurice Smith
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Goodell and Smith pretty much hate each other.
With neither receiving that much respect, each will try aggressively to win the battle of their first labor showdown to prove their worth to everyone involved.
8. Football Gods Won't Tolerate 7-9 Team in the Playoffs
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The Seattle Seahawks were the first team ever to make the playoffs with a losing record during a non-strike season.
It's just wrong to have a losing team in the playoffs, especially when there are 10-6 teams left out.
7. No One Will Budge
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Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson gave a passionate speech last March to the owners preaching that they must, "Take back our league." The owners feel entitled to getting their way.
The players think anything that further endangers their health is absurd and won't have anything to do with it. Taking away money is also quite a turnoff.
6. Sides Far Apart
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New York Giants co-owner John Mara was quoted saying, "I don't think we're making any progress."
The owners and the players are far away from a deal and aren't getting any closer to an agreement.
5. Lack of Confidence
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There are plenty of people on both sides who don't have much confidence that a lockout will be avoided.
Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross said about negotiations, "I don't think it is fast enough."
4. Past Success of Lockouts
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When the NHL had its lockout, the owners were able to use their power to get some of what they wanted out of a new deal.
The NFL owners can see the success a lockout has had for other owners in the past.
3. Bob Batterman
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Bob Batterman, the league's labor lawyer, was specifically brought in to help the league navigate through a lockout.
He's the one who said, "It is none of [the players union's] business whether the owners make a one dollar profit or a $100 million profit."
2. UFL
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Many believe the UFL was created with the anticipation of an NFL lockout.
Players need jobs. If a lockout occurs, a number of star players could head over to the UFL, maybe permanently.
1. Lockout Will Be Good in the Long Run
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The owners and players can't continue to have all these disagreements for years to come.
The two sides should get it over with, take the time and come to an agreement on all the issues. It will make the league stronger for it in the long run.
David Daniels is an NFL Featured Columnist and Writing Intern at Bleacher Report and a Syndicated Writer. Follow him on Twitter or at One Yard Short.com.
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