Well, the NFL lockout has arrived. This happened as predicted by many. There is not much the fans can do at this point. Most fans want an NFL season and hopefully the two sides will reach an agreement.
Now the schedule change the owners want needs further explaining. Over the last couple of years the NFL has seen record viewership. This is why there is a lot of debate over who should split these profits, hence the lockout. The interesting part of the proposed schedule change is the conversion of two of the four preseason games to regular season games. These preseason games are the worst possible torture to NFL fans, but they are vital to the making of a good season. If you don’t know about these games, they are just like every other game except the starters hardly play. This is why these games are boring to the fans. The owners do sell tickets to these games at the same price as regular season tickets and since these games are boring no one goes to them. From the owners side the conversion of two preseason games to regular games means they can line their pockets a little more by making the games have meaning to the fans. These games do have meaning though, just not to the fans. These games are used by the coaching staffs to evaluate rookies and other less talented players they acquire. Without these games rookies would not be fully exposed to the real NFL until the actual season and they would have less time to learn the playbook. Less talented players would also not get the exposure they need to correctly place them in the rotation. This could mean when injuries arise during the season that the replacements could be inexperienced or ill-prepared. In high school we had similar preseason games and they were a huge help to players to get used to game speed and get to practice new plays or schemes against unfamiliar foes. As a fan I can’t stand these games, but I can respect that these are vital to the success of the team in the long run. These games should not be cut just based on popular opinion and the thought of gaining a quick buck.
