What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object?

With NFL Football seemingly come to an end for an indefinite period, we the fans are left scrambling to figure out which side to support, if we choose to even support one. Do we take the owner's side and support billionaires who seemingly just want their money, or do we support the players, who go out and risk their health for 6 months each year? I couldn't be more sympathetic to players when talks of an 18-game schedule comes up. That would be torture! But both sides need to listen up, and we need to become the deciding factor like only the fans can be! Who should we support?

Well, that is ultimately the crux of the debate. It is unnatural for sports fans to want to align with billionaire owners. That is usually the argument that is instantly spouted whenever anyone comes out against the players in the debate between players and owners. Then again, it is equally unlikely for fans to want to align with players who sometimes seem more interested in their own personal brand and celebrity than anything the fans truly care about.

For all that separates billionaire owners from fans, there is one thing that keeps them bonded. We see in Tennessee with Bud Adams and his VY fetish, and his complete disregard for any new-school thinking, that he may not be our favorite guy. However, regardless of what the man does right, wrong or indifferent, we all know he wants one thing and one thing only, like us, to WIN!

As we see players guide themselves through their careers self-promoting like T.O. and Chad Ochocinco, tanking to get traded like Randy Moss, getting in shape only in a contract year like LenDale White, or worrying more about dating starlets than being a starting quarterback like Matt Leinart, their goals seemingly couldn’t be less aligned with those of fans. They also couldn’t seem further from being aligned with owners who pay contracts (even non-guaranteed ones) in order to get a certain level of effort toward a common goal.

So it isn’t that the world has a great level of sympathy for billionaires. There are certainly many cases where the billionaires are completely unsympathetic like in the cases of Daniel Snyder and Al Davis. Then again, in an objective look at the measure of goal congruency, fans are far more aligned with owners than players as a general rule.

Consider this as you steam at the stalemate while watching ESPN. Just make sure you know who you really support in all this mess, and let's get out and show our support of our favorite sport.