For NFL fans and those who have teams in their cities, there's something you should know. Like a dark cloud hanging in the sky on a bright, sunny day, a pending NFL lockout is waiting on the horizon. A lockout is sort of like a strike, but the workers aren't the ones calling for it. Instead, team owners are the ones calling for a halt in NFL activities, where the league will be shut down and games cancelled. Even if games aren't cancelled, we might be forced to endure another season of tacky replacement players, and nobody wants that.

The AFL-CIO has decided to put it's power behind the NFL Players Union in this battle with team owners. The organization sent a letter to the owners of NFL teams, warning them that a lockout could have a powerfully detrimental effect on workers and fans in cities all across America. They also warned that cities could lose $140 million in revenue.

One of the more serious concerns of both the AFL-CIO and the NFL is that team owners are refusing to release their financial information to the public.

"While we are happy to hear that negotiations with the union are continuing, we are disappointed that in the face of your threatened lockout, financial demands and proposed increase in regular season games you have refused to provide any information about your team's profit (or loss) as justification for your requests from NFLPA members," the AFL-CIO said in its letter.

The NFL sent a reply to the AFL-CIO:

"We share the interest of the AFL-CIO in achieving a negotiated settlement that is fair to fans, clubs, and players, who have received more than $20 billion in salaries and benefits under the current CBA, and who have experienced steady growth in compensation despite the worst economic downturn in our lifetimes," said Greg Aiello, NFL spokesman.

The word is that owners are getting ready for players to be locked out when the current collective bargaining agreement ends in March. The head of the NFL Players Association, DeMaurice Smith, says that because owners get paid on TV deals even if there is a lockout, they have little or no incentive to avoid the shutdown in labor. Players are being advised to save their money, since many of them are not prepared for the financial implications of a lockout. Given the number of black athletes reportedly going broke, I am hopeful that they are heeding his advice.

One of the major concerns of players is the lack of healthcare coverage for retired players. It turns out that in spite of the tremendous physical toil experienced by NFL players, there is no guarantee for long-term healthcare for injuries suffered while playing football. Also, players must play for at least three years in order to get five years of post-career healthcare coverage.

I had meetings with the NFL earlier this year to discuss the creation of a financial literacy campaign that would be delivered to the players. I've always been concerned about any place where black athletes congregate, and I'm always interested in finding ways to use my expertise to help educate them. One of the things I couldn't help but notice was that there seemed to be a strong political agenda behind the way the message was to be delivered to players. The message seemed to be one that pointed toward getting rid of the player's union and compelling athletes to allow more of their financial future to be controlled by the NFL itself. I didn't want any part of that, since undermining labor unions is one of the reasons that the real wage of the American worker has remained flat for the past 10 years.

Another shameful dimension to the NFL Collective Bargaining agreement is the fact that team owners are not willing to release their financial information. Typically, one can argue that a person only appears to have something to hide when they are actually hiding something. If the owners are struggling financially, it is incredibly problematic that they have trouble proving that they are struggling. Recent moves by team owners appear to be all about greed, and not much else. Either way, I won't be watching many football games, since I don't want to get hooked on something that might be going away.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action Resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.