NFL Labor Dispute: No Football in 2011? Not Likely

With the NFLPA dissolving itself Friday, the league has officially entered a lockout. In the average fan’s eyes, the labor negotiations were a half-hearted attempt at a resolution on the part of both sides. 

No one should be surprised that it has come to this.

What will be surprising is if there are actually games missed because of the work stoppage. 

Right now, the only revenue being lost is perhaps some jersey sales if a team were to sign a new free agent or make a trade.  I’m sure that if the Cardinals or 49ers were to trade for Kevin Kolb, more than a few freshly pressed No. 4 jerseys would fly off the shelves.

But because there’s no real revenue being lost, there’s no real motivation to settle the dispute. 

The cause of the lockout will be the one thing that brings the sides together—money. 

For the owners, every lost game amounts to millions in losses in the form of 65,000 empty seats, no nine dollar beers being sold, no parking revenue, no apparel or memorabilia sales, and, most importantly, no TV revenue. 

For the players, the loss of a season is even more dire.  The average NFL career spans only 3.5 seasons.  3.5 years to make all the money that you can for the rest of your life so that you hopefully don’t have to resort to selling used cars.  Losing one season out of 3.5 is a big deal. 

Additionally, any players that are currently injured will have to resume rehabilitation activities on their own.  I can only imagine the medical costs incurred rehabilitating a professional athlete, now having to come out of the players pocket.

Currently, the situation looks bleak.  The sides appear to be very far apart, and any good will that was garnered between the NFLPA and the owners has been lost.

But, with the season is still months away, there is plenty of time for a resolution.  And if nothing comes, if the NFL season is lost, at least people may actually watch the World Series again, if Bud Selig could only be so lucky.