NFL Lockout will become a forgotten footnote

Every family seems to have those two relatives whose differing political beliefs spark a
never-ending debate.

After a while, though, the content of their arguments blur together and become
utterly forgettable.

A realization then arises that the two are just fundamentally different. The NFL lockout is hardly different.

For all intents and purposes, the NFL — and by extension its owners — is our crackpot uncle, and the NFL Players Association is our eccentric second cousin.

Their conflicting fundamental desires are noticeable, but the issues they’re currently fighting over are meaningless.

Without the cancellation of any regular-season games, we’ll only end up remembering that the two sides were able to coexist. As time passes, the memory of this summer’s lockout will fade.

It’s been clear from the outset that losing real games was a perceived threat, not an actual one. When the owners decided to lockout players at the expiration of the last collective bargaining agreement, it wasn’t because the league’s system was broken; it was to try and strong-arm them.

They likely thought, once they established the upper-hand, they would be able to sneak a few extra items into the new CBA. It would be like squeezing the last bit of juice out of an orange.

But the owners were never going to surrender a chance to cash in on regular-season games. They’re too lucrative to use as bargaining chips for secondary demands.
Amidst the increasingly cordial negotiations, with an agreement appearing imminent, 31 of the league’s owners ratified a new deal Thursday.

Once the immediate euphoric response settled, it became clear that celebrations were a bit premature.

Commissioner Roger Goodell’s press conference was reminiscent of President George W. Bush’s “Mission Accomplished” speech on the USS Abraham Lincoln
in 2003.

But in the less important context of professional football, Goodell’s speech will hardly resonate historically because the NFLPA wants to play just as much as the
owners do.

Even if their initial public reaction to the NFL’s deal was lukewarm, they’re in the same boat as the owners and are expected to vote to approve the deal on Monday.
Starting the season on time outweighs any low-level demands they may want to continue to bargain for.

For those of you who’ve been wrapped up in this summer’s labor negotiations, you’ll likely find the resolution somewhat unsatisfying. You see, the NFL lockout was nothing more than a low-stakes poker game with each side trying to coerce the other into throwing a few extra chips into the pot.

Both sides might have suckered you in with issues like revenue sharing, decertification or salary cap limitations, but neither wants to try to fix an unbroken system.

The league is wildly successful because of guys like former commissioner Pete Rozelle, who saw what the NFL could be and executed his vision.

With the help of some compelling characters, it’s become the ultimate television experience — undoubtedly aided by teams having just one game a week.

The NFL taps into all of our visceral urges, which makes it a pretty easy sell. As a result, owners and players have reaped the benefits and will continue to do so when the new 10-year agreement is put in place.

There seems to be a growing cross-section of unsatisfied NFL fans that feel they’re owed an apology, even when nothing significant has been missed.

A common retort is that they’re sick of billionaires fighting with millionaires, which probably was only buoyed by each side’s bluffing.

It’s all really silly, though. Both sides are just taking advantage of a capitalistic system that rewards them for delivering an in-demand product.

No, greed isn’t necessarily good, but it should be expected. If people are so put off, they should abstain from anything NFL related.

I know I’m not bothered enough to stop watching. When we eventually look back at this upcoming season, it’s hard to believe the lockout will end up being part of the narrative.

At a future Thanksgiving gathering, after the obligatory political debate and Detroit Lions loss, a younger relative may ask, “What was the 2011 NFL lockout like?”

You’ll probably answer, “What lockout?”