The NFL and NFLPA are currently in the midst of a major labor dispute that has been playing out both in the board room and the court room. Since the deadline passed more than two months ago, an indefinite lockout of the players has been in full effect. Aside from a temporary stay granted by a court in Minnesota, players have not been allowed to train at team facilities, sign with new teams, or collect pay checks.A lockout occurs when two sides fail to create, or renew, a collective bargaining agreement, resulting in an impasse. Either side has the right to decertify, or file appropriate paper work to the courts in order for them to hear the case at hand.On the other side, NFL Players, the marketing arm for the players association, says it has not lost any marketing partners. Keith Gordon, the organization's president, believes the worth of its players to advertisers and sponsors could actually grow should the lockout continue into the fall. There are two types of lockouts, offensive and defensive lockouts. The offensive lockout occurs when the employer locks out the employees to try and get them to meet an agreement that benefits the employer. The defensive lockout occurs when the employer locks out the employees in order to avoid harm that can be done to the employer’s business.Professional sports have had many bright spots, but they have also had many times when their respective leagues were in quite a pickle. The “big four” sports: football, baseball, basketball, and hockey have all had labor. The main problems that can arise from labor disputes are the consequences of a shortened season or even no season at all. When owners and players cannot agree on specific terms for a new contract, they take a long time to settle on an arrangement. In pretty much every time, the argument is over money. Players think they deserve to earn more money from the league because they are the ones who work hard each day. They also try to receive more health insurance for if they get injured, they will be taken care of. Lastly, professional sports can take a toll on one’s body, so when an athlete retires from sports, they will more so than not want to retire for good. They will need to earn benefits from the league in the future so that they can continue to take care of their families.The team owners usually own the stadiums and they want more money so that they can continue to manage their dealings to the best of their abilities. If these two sides cannot come up with something, then both the players and owners suffer, but most importantly, so do the fans. Fans bring a lot of money into the league, and if there is no agreement, then the fans cannot enjoy their favorite games. Now, each league goes through a lockout and cause problem.
