NFL Lockout Ends And I'm...Disappointed?

Saying goodbye to Stewart?

After months of posturing and disruption, the NFL owners and players finally figured out how to divide the billions and billions of dollars in revenue the league takes in. The lockout is over, and only one exhibition game had to be canceled -- the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, which is normally played in conjunction with the induction ceremonies each year. Now, because no league business (other than the draft) took place for months and months, there's this mad scramble by teams to decide which of their own free agents they might want back, which free agents from other teams they might want to try and sign, and so on, as teams rush to open their training camps.

There are reports that the Eagles have decided they don't want any of their free agents back, including linebacker/Daily News Sexy Single/would-be "Sex and the City" guest star Stewart Bradley. There's also speculation that DeSean Jackson might not report to training camp because he wants a contract extension. Considering what Jackson's been up to recently, I'm not sure I care if he disappears from the face of the earth.

Beyond that, though, I'm actually a little sad that the NFL is back. This is the most popular of the four major pro sports leagues, but also very unlikable in many ways.
Their handling of issues such as players' uniforms and on-field celebrations that has led to the "NFL = No Fun League" handle, season ticket customers' being forced to pay through the nose for those exhibition game shams in order to get regular-season tickets, the over-saturation of coverage by both local and national news media on the most mundane matters (not to mention idiotic Brett Favre rumors), I could go on and on -- but the one thing that irks me the most is football fans who, while talking about the greatness of their sport, go out of their way to take shots at baseball. "No one cares about baseball any more. Baseball's boring. No one watches the World Series compared to the Super Bowl." Dumb crap like that.

I would have loved for these people to sit around and be miserable all fall and into the winter because the NFL was still in a lockout. They'd be ranting stupidly on talk radio (even more stupidly than usual) about how they'd never forgive the NFL, they'll never watch again, etc., and then once it ended they'd be right back at the stadiums, the sports bars, or in front of the TV in their homes. Granted, I'd miss football too, but we went a whole year without NHL hockey and I managed to survive, and I'd survive a year without the NFL as well. It's not going to happen, but I would have liked to see the NFL and a segment of their fans get a little comeuppance.

But hey, the NFL is back. Has Kevin Kolb been traded yet?