The National Football League has seemingly ruined a good thing by failing to come to a labor agreement. Brad Andrew, Professor of Economics, comments on the NFL lockout and its economic and practical implications:

What is the NFL lockout?
A lockout is when owners want to gain negotiating power over their workers. In this case, the owners lock players out to force them to come around to their position. Which means demanding less money and fewer benefits. The players cannot play until the owners end the lockout. The last time that there was an NFL lockout, they hired replacements.

What would it mean for the NFL season if they used replacements?
In most people’s eyes, the season would have an asterisk by it. It wouldn’t be considered a real season. It would always have a negative connotation. Sometimes, there is a small benefit to being a replacement. There is an NFL pension that kicks in after so many years or games of NFL service. So, some players find that they are just a couple games short of getting their time in. If they go back and play, as a replacement, they can get their pension.

What are the economic implications of the lockout?
The NFL is very important to many men, but not very important to the economy as a whole. It is only a tiny realm of the economy. The only impact would be physiological. Football is a nice diversion from life. Without this diversion, men might actually be forced to do the work around the house.

As a football watcher, how do you feel about the lockout?
Football is a violent sport and it tears apart the player’s body. I tend to side with the players’ views. The players give up their bodies, and I think that they should fight for compensation that helps pay for that.

~ Erin Kreischer ’13, Juniata Online Journalist