The Least Wonderful Time of the Year

Ah, the offseason. Time for NFL fans to catch our breath, regroup and enjoy other sporting genres before another season is upon us. In years past, I’ve been sad when the Super Bowl ends, as it signals the end to yet another season. There is a void of football news and action – well, except for the now-annual “will he/won’t he” spiel – until April’s draft. The void is accompanied by feelings of emptiness and symptoms of withdrawal, without our weekly fix. Traditionally, we wait until the Madness of March to quench our sporting thirsts.

This year is different. Sure, the Winter Olympics can keep us sports fans occupied. But for the hard-core football fans out there, the NFL is still very much in the spotlight. It’s time for the players, the league and everyone in between can come to friendly and reasonable terms in time to preserve the future prosperity and popularity of the league. Namely, work out the collective bargaining agreement thingy. Who wants the NFL to have the problems of MLB when it comes to small markets versus big owners – the NFL would turn into JJFL, the Jerry Jones Football League.

It baffles me that in a league that’s become so successful and so popular, there is a risk of a lockout or uncapped seasons. Check that, I’m not baffled; rather, I fully understand that greed is preventing progress. My expertise about the negotiation details is lacking, but I know that March 3, 2010 is an important date; if an agreement isn’t reached by then, the NFL is in for an interesting season and far more significant 2011 offseason.

I think I speak for millions of passionate fans who hope the league we’ve grown to love makes the right decisions and continues to entertain and captivate us – not alienate us. Here’s hoping the Commish can earn his recent multi-million dollar contract extension. Otherwise, NFL arenas may resemble this: