Fun (Likely Futile) Ways Fans Can Encourage NFL Labor Peace

If social networking can help topple governments in the Middle East or get Betty White on Saturday Night Live, why can't NFL fans get both the NFL and the NFL Players Association to work out a reasonable labor deal? Why couldn't the established fan networks from sports blogs work together to get fans to do something -- anything -- to get football this season?

There are fan organizations out there who are trying to do things. The folks at SaveNextSeason.com are trying to get fans to sign a petition to ensure there is football in 2011. They make the case that NFL owners have taken millions of dollars in taxpayer direct and indirect subsidies, and so the NFL has an obligation to listen to fans and to have a fan voice at the negotiation table. The folks at NFLFanStrike are encouraging fans not to buy NFL products until the labor situation is resolved. It's a start, I suppose.

Personally, I don't think owners like Al Davis or Bud Adams really care what anyone thinks of anything. Look at them. (Actually, I would advise you not to do that). Owners want what they want, will do what they will do, and aren't much concerned with what fans want. And the NFL is banking that the United States is so addicted to football, they can get away with it. The owners are likely right.

But while probably futile, why not encourage fan actions to encourage the NFL and the NFL Player Association to get a deal that they can live with that is good for the game. Sort of like the fun, futile anarchy at the end of the movie Animal House:


Though what fans do would likely be ignored, large powerful organizations do not like uncertain and anarchy. This is my last post at FanHouse, and likely one of the last posts at the AOL FanHouse platform, so this is my Deathmobile call to arms. Perhaps if we crowdsource this, we can come up with funny things to do to get labor peace. Some ideas:

* Create a "Goodell is a Doody Head" Facebook page. Keep it up until there's a new CBA. I wonder how many "likes" such a page could get in a short period of time.

* Hard to ask season ticket holders not to pay for their tickets. In a lot of cities, failure to timely pay for season tickets means you lose your PSL money. You could always pay in loose change. Not sure that does anything, but may make you feel better in paying.

* Funny YouTube videos on the subject. I'm not sure how you'd put this together, but it would likely involve animals, babies, breasts, or things slamming into someone's groinal region because those things are in the most viral videos.

* For your convenience, the NFL and the NFLPA mailing addresses:

National Football League
280 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10017

NFLPA
1133 20th Street
Washington DC 20036

Now I am not suggesting that you leave a flaming bag of dog poop at their doorstep. That would be unsanitary, And its not like Roger Goodell would have to clean it up. I've heard suggestions of sending old keys to NFL headquarters if there is a lockout.

* Howard Stern has discovered Twitter. Maybe he could use the power of multimedia to force labor peace. If he can beat pig vomit, NFL labor peace should be easy.

My mind is a blank rage of amazement that such a successful league threatens to screw itself up. Have any fun likely futile ideas? A way to pull sports bloggers/social media types together to encourage labor peace? Contact me @StephStradley on Twitter or at my Houston Chronicle blog, and I'll promote whatever ideas come my way.