The National Football League team owners have decided to lock players out of their practices. Lockouts could cause major strife for professional players, fans, and local businesses. Many want to know when this will end.

The players are taking the NFL owners to court because players say the lockout, “violates anti-trust laws and would cause irreparable harm,” according to BusinessInsider.com. However, the owners have a different story to tell.

“Owners are claiming that they are losing money,” said Assistant Professor of Sports Studies Bob Malekoff. “They want to limit the percent of money that goes to the players and have greater percentage of money going to the teams with the idea that this will make the league stronger.”

Fighting back with strong odds in their favor, the owners hold all rights in this legal issue.

“Many players are saying that they do not know what the owners are or are not making in revenue because owners will not allow the players to see their books,” said Malekoff.

Although both sides in the case seem to be headstrong, negotiations seem possible. There is one side, however, that has more leverage than the other.

“The owners are holding the cards,” said Malekoff. “(They) have other business and, in some cases, this is their hobby. The real question is: can the owners afford loss? Yes, losing revenue for a year hurts, but does it hurt the owners more than the players? I don’t think so.”

Malekoff poses a great question because if there is a major loss for the owners then this might force them to back down and fold in the lockout.

Professional players have somewhat different odds in this heated debate.

“The players who are not hurting are the ones making the big bucks,” said Malekoff. “So it’s those marginal players who will be affected. To me there is pressure on the players to back down.”

If the lockout continues into the fall, many local businesses and jobs could take a hit from the owners’ decision. Businesses have built on the dominance of professional football due to its growth.

Hotels and restaurants make a large portion of their revenue in big cities that host NFL games because of the large fan base.

Followers of NFL teams enjoy traveling to large cities and spending extra money on souvenirs, nice bars, and hotels.

“The lockouts could result in work stoppages and also affects people who work for the team or even people who work at the stadiums,” said Sports Information Director and Assistant Director of Athletics Dave Walters. “I mean, there are many more people involved in this issue rather than just the owners and players.”

NFL fans are wondering whether this lockout will be resolved soon enough so they can continue watching football.

“In an ideal situation, there would be compromise,” said Malekoff.

“The players and the owners might have to compromise because that is in the best interest of the league, but the problem there is distrust. The players distrust the owners.”

Owners and players must work together in order to resolve the issues.

Negotiations must be made so both parties can collaborate and have a successful NFL season. After all, opening day is just 23 weeks away.