Super Bowl XLV was the most-watched TV show in U.S. history, attracting 111 million viewers, but a big letdown could follow the National Football League's (and the Packers') big triumph: No football next season. The collective bargaining agreement between NFL owners and players expires in March, and disagreements over revenue sharing, player health care, and expanding the season from 16 games to 18 could easily lead to player lockouts or strikes. Was the Super Bowl our last NFL game until 2012... or even 2013?
Get ready for empty fields: "On the surface it's a simple labor negotiation," says Michael Cahill in Bleacher Report. But the central issue — "the owners simply want more money, and the players simply don't want to take less money" — seems insurmountable. With "greedy owners" pushing and "fed up players" standing firm, "the only Super Bowl played next year might be played on an Xbox."
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