The NFL Lockout deadline is less than a day away, but Adam Schefter is now reporting that an extension of the end of the CBA is now a distinct possibility, and something that the owners in particular are pushing for. That seems to put their resolve to carrying this lockout through in doubt.
With actual agreement unlikely at this late hour, an extension is the best possibility for fans hoping to see an unabbreviated NFL season in 2011. But it’s also the best possibility for the players and owners, if only they can come to an agreement in time to facilitate it.
Both sides have so much to lose here that I can’t imagine a lockout resonating well with either constituency; sports labor disputes have never been popular with the general public, and the NHL and NBA lockouts proved disastrous for their respective leagues, not to mention the MLB strike. The NFL is less about individual players than the NBA or Major League Baseball, but a lockout would only sow more distrust among football fans.