The great news has been shouted as loud as Paul Revere's "The British are coming" (X2) - the NFL is back!
For me, it means fantasy football season is back. It also means that I get to defend my first successful betting season (50-34, +$693) in my life. And I'll be able to get my first look at the Jim Harbaugh-led San Francisco 49ers. Will his confidence in Alex Smith be reciprocated by solid play from Smith? Something to look forward to.
Also, I have been asked to pitch in for a DirectTV package, so I will be able to watch my boys every week. When I was asked about this and thought about it for a second, I couldn't pass up on the chance to watch them week in, week out - no matter how depressing they may look at times.
For you, it probably means the same things - Sundays at the bar or at home watching your favorite team (if you're reading this, likely the Bears) with some good friends of yours, likely consuming tons of calories on adult beverages and cholesterol-filled goodies.
However, there are other people/groups who are lot happier than us not involved directly with football that are delighted to hear about the return of the nation's favorite sport.
Hotel chains
Imagine how much money would have been lost if the lockout continued and the season disappeared for hotels. From the plethora of fans who travel to see their teams to the NFL teams and their staffs themselves, the hotel industry was likely to lose millions for all the empty rooms that would come of this. This would have resulted in layoffs and cutbacks that our economy really doesn't need at this point.
Tourism industry
With hotels comes tourism. For those of us in Chicago who have walked the streets on a random afternoon, it is a common sight to see people from out of town in jerseys that match their team visiting the Windy City in some sport. Some of these people may have come to Chicago at some point in time, but there would have definitely been a hit to most city's tourism. Maybe except for Cleveland, but that's another story.
Bars & Restaurants
You think that bars would still be packed Sunday afternoons in the fall if the NFL wasn't around? Even moving some college football games to Sunday would have made it difficult to fill the void that the NFL brings in for bars. The NFL is a cash cow for many industries - with bars being one of the most prominent. The loss of revenue on Monday nights would also be affected - as I know that I'd be less likely to go out on a Monday night in the fall if football wasn't on.
(and most importantly)...Baseball Fans of Bad Teams
Before you think this is a shot at Cubs' fans, remember that the White Sox are often hopelessly hovering around 2nd or 3rd place around the time that the NFL starts, teasing us to the bitter end and then eventually getting eliminated with a week left in the season. I may not be able to speak for teams outside of our market, but I imagine the sentiment is the same as far as needing the NFL to come back to mask the woes of their ugly baseball team. It may be different in the New England, Arlington, Philadelphia & San Francisco areas, but many other cities who have football and baseball teams have fans that cannot wait to forget about the 2011 baseball season and cling onto the hopes of their NFL team this season.
There's probably other industries/groups I am missing, but those are the groups that I feel benefit the most from the NFL ending its lockout that aren't directly related to football.
In the meantime, free agent signings are about to clutter the bottom line and beginning pages of the sports section. Let the madness begin!
Initial prediction for the season: Packers repeat. I don't need to hear about the current free agents and where they go. Green Bay has a whole starting roster of guys coming back from injury. I believe the only way they lose in the playoffs (assuming they make it there) is if they get outcoached.
Your thoughts?
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