NFL Lockout Over!

The lockout is over! Football has returned! That's right Commissioner Roger Goodell and NFLPA head DeMaurice Smith have officially declared an end to the lockout in a joint press conference. A deal has been reached between the owners and players and the owners will now be receiving 53% of all revenue made by the NFL. The new salary structure reduces the amount of money that can be given to a first round pick. This is great news since that means that teams with more money won't be able to give better offers to potential first round picks. Sam Bradford will be the last quarterback or any player at any position to receive a fifty million dollar deal. Of coarse after the initial rookie contract has expired, players can make deals with hire salary contracts. This means that rookies will have to work harder to earn more money in the future, and that's the way it should be.

For now it's back to football as usual. We can all take in a sigh of relief and purchase those tickets or buy a sports package to watch our favorite team on TV. However, there have been lockouts in the past so who knows if and when another one will happen. With football being as huge as it in in America, it most likely is inevitable that another one will happen sometime down the road. If another lockout does occur at any point in the future, hopefully it won't be as long as this one.

As most fans and followers have anticipated, the regular season and post season will be unaffected by the lockout or CBA, and that means more revenue for the NFL and states with teams. A lot of states depend on the income that their teams bring in, so it's great news for the economy in general. The preseason will go on as planned, but the hall of fame game has been canceled since there won't be enough time to practice. I'm sure that all Bears and Rams fans are upset, but the hall of fame ceremony is going to go on as scheduled. Overall it's a great day for football and great news in uncertain times.