Over the last couple of days I have seen a lot of positive news regarding the NFL lockout, now I am right back where I was a month ago not knowing if there would be football in 2011. I am still pretty skeptical, even though what we are likely seeing now is the ebb and flow of any negotiating process. It now looks like a small group of owners is unwilling to move forward with a new collective bargaining agreement without more protection built in. We should note that only two owners were unhappy with the last CBA, and the ended up being dead right.
Therefore, it looks like a few owners want some protection built in to the new CBA, to protect their substantial investments should the economy begin to crumble again. Other than this fairly major issue, it seems the NFL and its players have made a lot of progress towards a new deal. I have read and heard some reports that a new CBA is 85% done.
We are already at a point where the 2011 pre season schedule will be severely affected by this. Granted most fans do not care about pre season, but the owners say they are at risk of losing one billion dollars if the entire 2011 pre season has to be scrapped. I seriously doubt that number, but we are at a point where we have to consider the possibility that regular season games are either cancelled or the quality of those contests is severely effected by a shortened pre season.
At this point, it is probably in the owners and players best interest to get a deal done, as Federal Judges have made it clear that neither side would like how a court decides to settle this mess. If the owners want a little protection that seems reasonable as their financial commitment to this sports is far greater than that of the players.