Thank you, NFL

For having enough sense to come to an agreement about a labor negotiation this offseason. You all realized that you get paid millions of dollars to play a game that most people would play for free and that you really only have a small window in which you can play this game at the level that allows you to get paid more in a single season( Hell, in some instances a game) than some people will see over the span of their life. Not only did you help yourselves, and the fans who don't have interesting lives so they have to live vicariously live through you( like me), but think of all the people who are not fans that are affected by stoppage of play: local business owners, stadium employees, and not to mention the homeless guy that stands outside the stadium playing the fight song of the home team in order to make a buck, these people can continue to prosper( and play the tuba) because of your willing to negotiate. That is the way business works.

This is why I don't understand the NBA. I know I will never fully understand because I will never be in the position to turn down hundreds of millions of dollars but…wait, what was I saying? I was distracted by the absurdity of turning down that kind of money to play a game that I have worked my entire life to play. I understand that the players would have to be willing to give up a big chunk of what they have had, but they have to realize what they had was ridiculous to begin with. Not only are they hurting themselves by losing a season( I'm just assuming this because the owners have no reason to budge) but they're hurting fans, event employees, local businesses, hobos, and overall the integrity of the game. The average player has a shelf life of what? 4-5 years? And they want to spend one of those years( and who knows, maybe more) arguing over what will amount to a King's Ransom anyway? Do they really think they'll be fine playing overseas for any real stretch of time? Why do they think everyone is trying to come play here? Because they love America so much? News flash: no one outside of America likes Americans. They come here because this is where the money is. The money that these players are throwing away because of their inability to negotiate like their awesome NFL counterparts. I shudder to think what is going to become of this country when football shuts down and everyone will be forced to watch baseball. Perhaps 2012 will truly be the end of days.

P.S I know hockey will still be going on when football shuts down but..c'mon it's hockey!! I'll start watching when they replace the players with chimps. There's nothing like a good game of chimp ice hockey.

Jeff Smith-KIN 577