Moments before the NFL christened its new season Thursday, several dozen players from the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints and the Minnesota Vikings walked a few yards from their sidelines and held their index fingers aloft in what they later called a show of solidarity with their union.
The scene, shown on NBC’s broadcast for a few seconds and repeated at some games Sunday, was a public acknowledgement of an increasingly tense, behind-the-scenes labor standoff between the NFL and its players union that could shut down the USA’s most popular professional sport this time next year.
Negotiations for a collective bargaining agreement appear stalled, and unless an agreement is reached with the union by March, league owners appear ready to impose a player lockout that could imperil at least the start of the 2011 season.
Full Story: Is trouble ahead for the NFL? Labor uncertainty a dark cloud – USATODAY.com
TENNIS SCALED DOWN