BY COLLIN ZUCKER

As many NFL fans know, there may not be a 2011-12 NFL season, because the league is in the midst of a lockout. It began this winter, immediately after the NFL Players’ Association and the owners couldn’t agree on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

In every league there is a Collective Bargaining Agreement that, unless renewed, expires after the number of years specified in the agreement. The CBA sets the standards for payroll, work hours and the split of revenue between the owners and the players. The owners, who receive a majority of the NFL’s $9 billion revenue, want another $1 billion. Consequently, the players would get substantially less money to put toward healthcare benefits, facilities and research devoted to improving safety equipment. The owners also want two additional games added to the regular season. For the players, that would mean longer hours with less pay and an increased likelihood of getting injured while playing a schedule that is 12.5 percent longer.

The two extra games bring up another sticking point of the collective bargaining agreement: healthcare. A player must spend three years in the league to receive post-career healthcare benefits. An extra two games means more injuries and less of a chance that one would be able to play the minimum three years, leading to more physically incapable men in the work force with lingering injuries from their football pasts.

It is clear that the arrangement the owners’ demand is unreasonable. Unfortunately for the players and fans, the owners hold all of the cards in the negotiations, because they determine the length of the lockout.

No one knows when the lockout will end, but one hopes it will end soon. Fans want football and so do the team’s cities. If there is no NFL next year, each NFL city will lose an approximate $160 million. It would be a shame if owners’ greed sacks next season.