NFL Labor Talks: 10 Ways To Forget About the NFL if There is a Lockout

The NFL labor talks have hit another snag. The owners have refused to open up their books and now the NLPA has decertified itself from the NFL.
 
The disgruntled owners are going to lockout the players and now the situation gets real. Up until now, fans assumed the deadline was great news and a compromise was imminent.
 
Nope.
 
This is going to be a long and grueling legal battle that looks as if it will go on into at least the middle of the summer.
 
So what are fans supposed to do?
 
Here are 10 ways to forget about the NFL and the league's nasty battle between the owners and the players.

10. Become the New Mel Kiper

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NEW YORK - APRIL 28: Mel Kiper, Chris Mortensen and Keyshawn Johnson broadcast for ESPN during the 2007 NFL Draft on April 28, 2007 at Radio City Music Hall in New York, New York. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

The one certainty of this lockout is the fact there will still be a draft in April. With no free agent signings or trades…this is it folks.
 
Immerse yourself in the Greg McElroy/Wonderlic controversy. Discuss the poor combine of Nick Fairley with all your friends. Make bets on where exactly Cam Newton will end up.
 
Maybe you can create your own combine with friends? Ok that would be really nerdy and it would indicate you have way too much time on your hands.
 
Stick to the mock drafts.

9. Hockey?

Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

SUNRISE, FL - MARCH 10: skates against the Florida Panthers at the BankAtlantic Center on March 10, 2011 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Remember when the whole country knew who Ryan Miller was as the U.S.A. almost pulled off the miracle upset of Canada in the 2010 Winter Olympics?

People love the NFL because of the physicality and fearlessness of its players.

Have you been to a hockey game lately?

Refs sit and watch players fight each other. Getting cross checked into the boards rivals a hard sack of the QB.

We like physicality in our sports and the NHL has a ton of it.

Don't forget that there are only 11 minutes of actual action in an NFL game, while a NHL game is constant action.

8. Watch Dancing With the Stars

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

ARLINGTON, TX - FEBRUARY 06: Hines Ward #86 of the Pittsburgh Steelers reacts against the Green Bay Packers during Super Bowl XLV at Cowboys Stadium on February 6, 2011 in Arlington, Texas. The Packers won 31-25. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Why?
 
Pittsburgh Steelers WR Hines Ward is a contestant.
 
It will be one of your only chances to see an NFL player in any sort of competition…and Kendra Wilkinson is in it.
 
Can’t go wrong with that.
 
It will be interesting to see if Ward can make it further than Chad Ochocinco’s top-five performance from a year ago.
 
Speaking of…

7. Watch "The T.Ocho Show"

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DALLAS, TX - FEBRUARY 04: Chad Ochocinco of the Cincinnati Benglas attends the 'ZigTech Cowboy Up Challenge' hosted by Reebok as MMA champion Randy Couture rides a mechanical bull on February 4, 2011 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Who wouldn’t love to watch two perennial losers discuss other sports as if they know what they’re talking about?
 
The two attention hogs are going to go through withdrawal if they can’t find themselves on a T.V. screen by April.

Season 1 of The T.Ocho Show provided plenty of unintentional comedy as the Cincinnati Bengals tanked on the field and the duo were left to make excuse after excuse.

Imagine the combo talking labor negotiations...actually that would be awful.

Having Chad talk about the Ochocinco "brand" and Twitter and listening to T.O. talk about how to do crunches in a driveway would be much better.

6. NASCAR Season Is Here!

John Harrelson/Getty Images

LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 06: Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe's/Kobalt Tools Chevrolet, races Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Mobil 1/Office Depot Chevrolet, during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Kobalt Tools 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 6,

I know I know, who in their right minds would compare the sport of football to auto racing?
 
But consider that Jimmie Johnson is going for an unprecedented six Sprint Cup titles as the rest of the NASCAR nation looks on in disbelief.
 
Rivalries in NASCAR are just as strong as in the NFL and watching cars bump each other into wrecks is a worthy supplement for watching a great football tackle.
 
The drivers may not physically participate in the fights, but a good NASCAR fight leaves wreckage and chaos throughout the track.

5. Create Your Own Football League

What’s the harm in playing the game yourself?
 
I know it sounds weird to consider leaving the friendly confines of your couch, but without the NFL you are left pretending to be Peyton Manning.
 
For once you get to decide the outcome; no more armchair QB for you.

Plus you get something called exercise. It's an ancient term meaning physical activity that is planned, structured and repetitive. Ever heard of it?

4. Madden 2012 Is Stil Coming Out

America's favorite sports video game will be back. EA Sports has already announced that a new Madden game will be on store shelves this August.

The rosters will be relatively the same from last year's version without trades and free agency, but all of the 2011 rookies will be inserted into the game.

The Arizona Cardinals may not be able to see how great their new QB Blaine Gabbert is in 2011, but they can pretend.

If you are really hurting on Sundays this fall, play your season in the time slot of your team's game each week. You still get that week of anticipation without losing money on bets.

The 2012 version is supposed to be the best Madden yet...let's all hope so.

3. NBA “Heats” Up

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MIAMI, FL - MARCH 10: LeBron James #6 of the Miami Heat drives to the basket during a game against the Los Angeles Lakers at American Airlines Arena on March 10, 2011 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downl

This has been one of the most exciting and interesting NBA seasons in the last two decades.
 
Can Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers three-peat?
 
Do Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs have one last great run left in the tank?
 
Can the Boston Celtics get revenge on last year’s NBA Finals Game 7 defeat?
 
Is Derrick Rose good enough to lead the Chicago Bulls to a deep playoff run?
 
But the one question everyone would love to know: Are the Miami Heat good enough to win a title?
 
The whole country outside of South Beach looks at the Heat as the villains of the league. “Crygate” didn’t help matters.
 
Dive head first into the NBA and you will be wildly entertained all the way to the end of June.
 
Then we get to listen about their lockout….

2. Watch the UFL

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

DETROIT - DECEMBER 20: Daunte Culpepper #11 of the Detroit Lions scrambles during the game against the Arizona Cardinals on December 20, 2009 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

They may be washed up, but you can pretend it's 2003 again when you watch the likes of Jeff Garcia, Daunte Culpepper, Dominic Rhodes and Tim Rattay duke it out.
 
The rules are essentially the same and we know for sure that August 7th will begin their season. The eight-game regular season should provide you with a football fix and maybe a few current NFL players will cross the picket line and go to the UFL.
 
That could be fun.

1. March Madness

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INDIANAPOLIS - APRIL 05: Miles Plumlee #21 of the Duke Blue Devils cuts down a piece of the net following their 61-59 win against the Butler Bulldogs during the 2010 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball National Championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium on Apri

It’s the greatest tournament in the world and the madness is less than a week away.
 
Tired of watching overpaid NFL players go through the motions?
 
Try watching 68 teams with kids from the ages of 18-to-23 fighting for survival. The urgency and pressure of the tournament is incredible.
 
How in the world can you not enjoy the highest level of basketball where egos and salaries are not involved?
 
Now that you can watch every single game of the tournament, do yourself a favor and turn off the NFL Live and flip to CBS, TNT, TBS and TruTv for the next three weeks.

It's a short-term solution, but it's the best way to get your mind off the greediness of the current situation in the NFL.