No NFL? No Problem...

There's not many people in the US that haven't at least heard about the possibility of the NFL not playing next season, and certainly fans of the game are watching the CBA talks drawn through the mud and courts very closely right now.  It has even been recently reported that the NFL is prepared to go with an 8 game season if it comes to that but the new CBA would have to be signed by early November for even that to happen.  For those not sure what is going on, in short the players and the league have a "Collective Bargaining Agreement" or a set of rules that both sides abide by in determining contracts and many other things, and this past year that agreement expired and the two sides were miles apart on agreeing upon another one.  Without that agreement in place the league basically shuts down.

Now for many this is a horrible thing, and I certainly hated every second of the lost season the NHL suffered when they were in a similar situation several years back and hockey fans lost an entire year of NHL hockey, but for me personally I really don't mind.  In fact other than missing out on Yahoo's fantasy football league if the season isn't played I am kind of rooting for a season long lockout for pro football.

First of all there are definitely issues with the NFL and its current way of operating.  I realize that they generate huge amounts of revenue and their TV contract alone pays teams what the entire NHL gets from TV revenue each year (ok, it's not quite that lopsided but it certainly isn't far from it) but the contracts of players are crazy.  Hundred million dollar deals over just a handful of years aren't uncommon and even worse yet, players drafted high in the draft each year often sign contracts worth $40-50 million or more.  To top that off these new draftees contracts often have bonuses which see them paid insane amounts of money before they ever play the game ... guaranteed.  For a player to make $35 million dollars and never have to step foot on the field is just a broken and flawed pay system in my opinion.  This is one area that the NHL certainly is leap years ahead in as rookies get smaller contracts (and often two way contracts that pay them even less if they are in the developmental league) with chances for bonuses but even then those dollar amounts are small compared to the rest of the league.  A player actually has to prove something before they are given large, lucrative contracts.

Second, the attitude among the NFL players is just out of hand.  Now a majority of the league suffers from the bad reputation that a handful, though a very large handful, of players give the entire NFL, but those handful need a reality check.  There are way too many players that play the game for the money, or put themselves above the team and the league, or who just shouldn't be getting a paycheck as they are poor role models.  The egos are out of control and unchecked and the overall feeling of entitlement shown by so many of the players is horrible.  Then add in just how often the NFL has players getting in trouble with the law, which can see dozens of incidents with law enforcement each year, and it is obvious something needs done about the overall culture of football and its players.

Also in line with the previous paragraph, these players often don't play the game with the passion that you can find in college football and that oozes from the NHL.  They play the game as a job more often than not anymore, for a paycheck and for themselves.  If I want to watch football and enjoy it, I will watch college football though even that is starting to deteriorate as time goes on with the NFL attitudes, colleges/sponsors buying player loyalty, and so on.  Still, college football has true rivalries and great heart shown by a majority of the players.  These players are giving it all for pride and the love of the game, and I admit it is also because they are trying to prove themselves to make it to the NFL.  Still, players and fans alike are just so much more dedicated and there for the game in college sports than in the NFL.

Finally not having a football season could just help the NHL.  While the NHL isn't going to get a lot of attention from ESPN no matter what there will be more air-time for highlights and stories from the league with no football to cover.  Also with no football to follow a number of sports fans without an interest in hockey may just tune in to check out a game or two and get hooked.  Increasing your fanbase, while purist may say isn't needed, can't hurt and can only help.  More fans means more revenue, more coverage, more of a future.

Over the last few months I have jokingly talked with co-workers about how great it would be to see no NFL this coming season but in all honesty I really wouldn't miss it and would in a twisted way enjoy it.  Yes, I would miss fantasy football but it would provide more time for the fantasy hockey leagues which I enjoy even more.  That is about the only thing about the NFL season being cancelled that would be a negative for me ... so let's bring on long drawn out labor talks and miss a year, fix the problems in the game, and give the NHL some extra air-time and fans.