Speaking of football, the NFLPA is readying itself for a lockout

[Missy Vixen]

I interrupt our regularly scheduled flamefest to present the following. The NFLPA is now advising players to start saving money; they believe there will be a lockout by owners in 2011.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/trainingcamp09/news/story?id=4404636&campaign=rss&source=ESPNHeadlines

>NFL officials insist they want a new labor deal.

The players association is convinced league owners are after something else: A lockout in 2011.

NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith told reporters at the Colts' training camp Monday morning that he expects owners to impose a lockout in two years and has begun advising players on how to prepare for it.

"They want to lock us out in 2011, so our drop dead date is when our players say 'What do I do when my family needs health care?' " Smith said while making the latest stop on his league-wide tour. "All of us are sitting back waiting to hear why they walked away from a deal that generated $8 billion."<

Obviously, not everyone here watches the NFL, but any NFL lockout will immediately put the 100,000 people who work at stadiums and in NFL front offices around the country out of work.