[sportscurmudgeon]

Originally Posted by warpaint

Well this doesn't look promising. Do you think it's a power play or is there a real chance of a lockout?

Smoot, what do you hear if anything?

NFLPA to players: Save pay, lockout's coming - ESPN

There is indeed a real chance of a work stoppage. It might be a lockout; it might be a player strike; there are still way too many gambits open to both sides to predict what will happen when the CBA expires - - I believe it expires on 1 March 2011 but do not hold me to that.

As long as you read stories like this one in the papers or hear about it on SportsCenter, the two sides continue to have their PR staffs working to develop sympathy within the fan base. The union says they will be locked out even though they would gladly play next year under the same terms as this year; the league says the union refuses to sit down and negotiate; the players say their bodies cannot take an 18 game season; the owners say ...blah, blah, blah.

When the talks get serious, both sides will put a muzzle on their PR folks and you will hear NOTHING that sounds like these kinds of stories. So that is your best indicator as to the seriousness of negotiations. And at the moment, there are not any real serious negotiations ongoing.

The NFL generates about $8B a year in revenue; the players collect via salaries and benefits just under $5B in the current CBA.

So, do not believe for even a second that folks on either side of the table here are economically deprived and will have to resort to eating cat food if they do not prevail on every point of contention in these talks.

Just remember, in the end they are arguing over YOUR money - - because if you and other fans stop buying tix and gear and the products advertised on televised games, the new CBA would look very very different than it is going to look with all of YOUR money counted upon.