2011 NFL Lockout

The clash of the pads, the roar of the ecstatic fans, these are the sights and sounds of the wonderful game we call football. Whenever you think of football you think of the excitement, the hard hits, and the amazing plays. What if that was all taken away and there was no 2011 NFL season? That question may become reality with the collective bargaining agreement expiring on March 3, 2011. If the season was canceled, would you be able to make it through Sundays and Mondays without football?

The NFL was created in 1920 and had a total of eleven teams, and only a couple hundred people attending each game. Now there are thirty-two teams with over fifty thousand people attending each outing, which means there is a lot more money in the sport today. The reason for the potential lockout is also for money, the owners of the teams want the players to be paid less so they can make more money; whereas, the players which are represented by the NFL players association want more money for veterans and retired players rather than the owners.

This will not be the first time the NFL has had a lockout, both the 1982 and 1987 seasons were not played in full due to lockouts. In 1982, the players went on a 57 day long strike, reducing the season from 16 games to 9. In addition, the NFL had to adopt a special tournament system, because there weren’t enough games in the seasons to play the entire division. The 1987 lockout was a little different than the previous lockout; it was a fifteen game season without any starting players. Teams consisted of back-ups and people drafted off the street. The strike lasted one month and some players returned and others did not come back until the next season.

If the lockout were to happen, how would you spend your Sundays without football? Sundays would be quiet and tedious without the clash of the Titans on the gridiron. With the 2011 lockout lingering over our heads, how different will life be without Americas Game?




Bibliography
Coller, Matthew. "Comparing the 1987 NFL Strike to Current Labor Issues for the League." 17 9 2009. The Biz of Football. 5 1 2011 .
"NFL Labor Negotiations." 7 12 2010. ESPN. 4 1 2011 .
WOJCIECHOWSKI, GENE. "NFL Strike." 23 9 1987. Los Angeles Times. 4 1 2011 .