NFL Lockout 2011

It has been two and a half months since the NFL lockout began. Leaving fans, players and owners anxious to see what the end result will be. For most, the NFL lockout has little to do with equality because greed seems to be the driving force. NFL players have been showing good face by committing to team workouts, although the 2011-2012 season seems dismal.

According to the New York Post, May 17 is when a few judge’s put a permanent freeze on a ruling that had briefly lifted the NFL lockout in April (Hubbuch, 2011). With that said, the lockout continues. Jason Chayut is a sports lawyer and agent who gave his opinion on the ruling before it was overturned:
The legal system is based on precedent and Judge Nelson in her ruling used a lot of
the 8th Circuit's previous rulings to come down with her decision in favor of the
players. From that standpoint I think it's going to be very difficult for the Circuit
Court to overturn what Judge Nelson ruled. But, my understanding is that anything can
happen in the courtroom. Nothing is a hundred percent…from a legal standpoint the
conversation about shutdown exists largely because when you're in anti-trust
litigation there is what's called treble damages, which is triple damages for the
winner of an anti-trust litigation. If the owners were found to be in violation of
anti-trust law then basically any working conditions or wages, anything imposed by 32
competing businesses on non-union employees would all be violations of that anti-trust
law (Valentine, 2011).

I empathize with the players. It’s been clear that the players want a fair portion of what’s rightfully theirs. I hope that the owners are in violation of the anti-trust law. It is time for them to realize that without the players they wouldn’t be able to afford their lavish lifestyle. The players do not need the owners. The owners depend on the athletes.

Hubbuch, Bart. (2011). Nfl lockout continues after ruling. New York Post, Retrieved
from:http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/more_sports/nfl_lockout_continues_after_ruling_enuvsOW1nTTLfwi6mzvInN

Valentine, Ed. (2011, May 16). Nfl lockout 2011: a legal perspective. New York Giants
News, Retrieved from: http://www.bigblueview.com/2011/5/16/2173352/nfl-lockout-2011-eighth-circuit-court-of-appeals-jude-susan-nelson