DO IT FOR THE KIDS

As the NFL lockout seems to pick up steam when it looked like it was headed for resolution, it becomes more and more clear that the biggest losers will be the rookies. They can already expect to lose out on money and signing bonuses whenever a new agreement is reached. They already had to keep face during a tainted draft day. Now they're being stripped of the rookie symposium, their first official chance to get acclimated to the league. A few months back I heard that for someone to make it as a professional athlete, you could assume that the individual has put in approximately 10,000 hours of work in their particular sport. That accumulates to almost a year and  a half of work, or in layman's terms a lot of f***ing time. So to finally achieve the ultimate goal and have a lot of the joy that comes with it be stripped away seems pretty disheartening. There's a reason football is the one sport where no one has been, or ever will be, allowed to make the jump early to the pros. It's because its hard -- really, really, hard. The speed, the playbooks, the styles of play, the physicality. Everything about the NFL is a much bigger jump from its collegiate counterpart in comparison to the other sports. Denying the rookies the chance to build towards being ready for this jump is a big negative, and with the exception of the truly gifted guys at the top, may make next season somewhat of a lost season for the guys unable to adapt on short notice. In addition, that's just the on-the-field aspect of it. How to handle your new found wealth, life on the road, women, relatives, all while maintaining a professional demeanor may be the biggest challenge for some. The inability to learn from league officials and veteran peers may result in a lot of the young guys learning a few things about their new job the hard way. It's a shame that the lockout has gotten to this points. It's hard enough to make it in a pro sport. Not being afforded all the help past players would expect to receive makes it all the more difficult. Before the lockout gets way out of hand, hopefully something is resolved so that the future of football is ready when their time comes.