As of midnight last night, the players have been locked out by the owners.
I know the tendency is to try and figure out who the good guys and bad guys are and most times, social attitudes determine that balance. This time around, I really find myself in the middle. Owners seems to be airing legitimate business concerns and players are voicing legitimate employee concerns. Between the two groups, I’m sure they’ll figure out a way to screw things up.
Actually, no. I’ve been confident about the prospects of the 2011 season for the simple reason that football is the sport in the US and the example set by pro baseball a few years back remains. I don’t think anyone wants to jeopardize the money making machine that the NFL has in place. Owners and players alike have too many bills to pay. If the season is affected, both parties will suffer for years due to the damaged fan relationship.
In the end, that’s the only business decision that matters. So I continue to believe they will work their differences prior to the season starting.