What a lockout would really mean

There appears to be a very dark cloud hanging over the NFL and the NBA right now. While many are getting ready for the NFL draft and NBA playoffs in April, there is a looming distraction that finds its way to headlines almost daily—the potential lockout. The NFLPA and the owners have been meeting for over 10 days while trying to iron out an arrangement for a new collective bargaining agreement CBA. The good news is that the two groups continue to talk so it appears they are at least attempting to get a deal done. The bad news is they can do all the talking they want but until a deal is done there isn’t a reason to be very optimistic. On the NBA side of things, unlike the NFL, the NBA is still in season. We are about a month away from the playoffs, so most teams (players and owners) are focused on finishing the season with a championship, or for all the non-playoff teams (sorry Wolves), momentum for next season. The lockout is still in the back of everyone’s mind but is not priority number one at this point. To be honest, I think the NFL will get a deal done relatively soon, but unfortunately I think the NBA is headed for every fan’s nightmare. But instead of breaking down what the players and owners are fighting about in their respective organizations, I think it’s best to shed light on what is really important in the case of a lockout…FANTASY SPORTS.

Let’s be honest, how crushed would we be if there were no fantasy football or basketball next season? I’d actually be somewhat heartbroken if a new CBA was agreed upon mid-way through the season and we only had half a season of fantasy football or basketball. I understand fantasy sports are extremely popular within my group of friends but I was interested in how many people really participate, so I dug up a little information.

According to a Dave and Buster’s survey, about 15,000,000 people participate in fantasy football yearly. I couldn’t find a stat on fantasy basketball but I do know that it is not close to being as popular as fantasy football. Regardless, there are approximately 30,000,000 people that participate in fantasy sports and about half of them play fantasy football. It can be assumed that at least 2-5 million play fantasy basketball so we are looking at roughly 17-20 million people that can’t participate in their annual fantasy leagues because of potential lockouts next season.

If you participate in any fantasy leagues, you’re aware of the benefits. Not only is it fun, but it brings out the competitor in most of us. It makes us follow sports more attentively, and above all, anyone can be successful. You don’t have to know every player on every team, or know stats that are really only important if you’re a coach or some type of sports analyst to be a winner. There are rankings and suggestions to help you during drafts and throughout the season, so as long as you make decent decisions and set your roster (I hate it when people don’t set their rosters!) you will always have a chance.

So, while the players and owners fight over money and power, I hope someone is considering what a lockout would do to the fans. Not only would an NFL lockout put a damper on Sundays, but an NBA lockout would leave us with only NHL highlights on SportsCenter (sports gods please shoo the lockout devils away!). If the players and owners can’t agree on a new CBA, for themselves and for the sake of their respective sports, I just ask that they get a deal done for fantasy sports.