How Roger Goodell and the NFLPA May Ruin My Child's Life

Long before we found out we were pregnant, Sara and I would talk about when to/not begin trying to have a kid, laying out reasons why one part of a year would be better than another--and also which year would be better than others.

Believe it or not, football played more than a minor part in that.

The NFL Players Association (the Union for NFL players) and the NFL Ownership (NFL executives and any non-player not employed by a team) are coming to the end of their Collective Bargaining Agreement--basically, the contract between the players and Owners. The CBA expires on March 4th, and the next season cannot begin until a new CBA is signed by both sides. Conventional wisdom says that a new agreement will be reached, but when. If it's late enough in the year, both sides might prefer to start with the 2012 season, and just let the 2011 season die completely.

One of the most compelling reasons Sara and I had for not bringing Baby Thomas into the world in 2011 was the possibility of her being born in a non-football year. Both of us agree that this is bad luck, and doubly so if Baby Thomas is in fact a boy. I could see my recurring dream of hearing "With the first pick in the 2033 NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys select.... ______ Thomas!"

I've always been fearful for how the labor negotiations in America's most popular sport would come to an end, but now it's not just my future that's at stake--now my child, and his/her future, hangs in the balance. So please, Sara and I beseech you, pray for these negotiations, and that our child can be brought into a world with professional football--instead of one devoid of happiness.




(I'm just out of frame in this one)