As of this moment this will be no 2011 NFL football season. Some people may not give this a second thought and others might even be happy about it.

Thousands of people depend on the NFL and its revenue for a living though, and unless this collective bargaining agreement gets resolved quickly many of those people will be without a job.

However the only thing the average NFL fan will be missing out on is the entertainment the games provide all season long. Although these solutions are not long-term like a full-length season, they will help fill the void.

THE NFL NETWORK

The NFL Network will be in a lot of trouble if they don’t have any games to analyze this year. Not to mention the brand new high-tech channel of NFL RedZone will not be able to function without games either. 

They will be desperate for ratings and will be forced to make new stories out of old material. Although it wasn’t the prime material of late, given time they will definitely be able to make interesting documentaries that keep people watching.

Throw a party just like you would for a real game. If the documentary or old broadcast turns out to be really corny or use weird one liners throughout the whole thing you can even turn it into a drinking game.

START A PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

Many of you reading the sports section I’m sure already partake in several physical activities but no football on Sundays will give you extra time for your workout of choice. Go to the new Rec Center, join a gym, start running and cycling or even just go for long walks on the Constitution Trail.

The start of football always means that ISU fall intermural sports are starting. They are a great way to work out and keep a competitive edge. If that doesn’t work for you there are always the dozens of registered student organizations accepting new members in the fall. Half of those are sports related anyway but either way they can kill free time in a fun way.

START A MADDEN FRANCHISE

If you’re like me, every morning you wake up the second thing you do behind turning the alarm clock off is turning on Sports Center. The longer the league stays in a lockout the more coverage sports reporting shows like Sports Center are going to give it, and that only keeps football fresh in your mind.

Without a season the only way to do it is through one of my all-time favorite series of video games.. Start a franchise with everyone on your floor and have everyone choose a different team. Then you can play out the 2012 season in all of the glory that would have been.

I remember when the NHL was locked out of the 2004-2005 season I bought NHL 05 for more than 50 percent off. If you can wait long enough and if enough fans do it perhaps EA Sports will lower the price of the game since they would pretty much have a monopoly on the football market.

ISU SPORTING EVENTS

The fall is arguably the best time of year for college sports with football, volleyball and all the rest. The Redbird football team is coming off a building year of 6-5 and head coach Brock Spack is looking to have his squad improve on its fourth place finish in the Missouri Valley Conference.

The volleyball team led by head coach Melissa Myers had a strong year in 2010 with a 19-14 overall record and sixth place finish in the Valley. The ‘Birds only lost a handful of seniors and will return many returning starters this year.

If you like the less mainstream sports you can always catch the Redbird tennis teams, golf teams, track and field team as well as the soccer team in action during the fall. A sports fan is sure to find something fun to watch.

Hopefully the greedy owners and players alike will come to settle their billion dollar arguments and at least have a 2012 season. It would save thousands of people financially and restore the happiness of millions of fans. If they really can’t find a compromise however and do stay locked out, hopefully these tips will help.