Lockout Over; NFL Season Saved

It appears our long national nightmare is over. No, the debt ceiling debacle hasn't been solved. And sure, the deficit is still high, as is unemployment. We haven't cracked down on waste in the Pentagon or ended any of the costly, stupid wars. But we do appear to have an agreement between the players and the NFL owners, meaning two things. One, there will be an NFL season this year. Two, I will have the opportunity to dominate the Benzinga fantasy football league. (Rumors that the Benzinga News Desk is opening up an ETF, allowing investors to short my team's performance, were unconfirmed as of posting time.) The NFL and the former (and soon to be reconstituted Player's Association, the NFLPA) union have reached an agreement in principle, ending the owners' lockout of NFL players that began over four months ago, when NFL owners opted out of the previous labor deal. Winding through court battles, public relations battles, and stalled negotiations, the two sides appeared to be settled on a deal last week. Then, rumors came that some of the star planitiffs (particularly Patriots guard Logan Mankins and Chargers Wide Receiver Vincent Jackson) wanted to be compensated for the losses they suffered from the owners' opting out of the previous CBA. The opt out changed free agency rules for one class of players, and allegedly prevented both men (among others) from becoming free agents. The players have since come to their senses. Having settled that issue, there were only two hurdles left to hop. One, the players wanted the ability to opt out of the deal after seven years, providing them an option in case the financial environment changed significantly. The unconfirmed reports still list the deal as a ten-year pact; it is possible that the players agreed to srop the issue, or perhaps both sides acquired opt-out clauses. Either way, it will be at least seven years of good football, unless... ...the other hurdle kills momentum. While the owners have already voted on the CBA (they unanimously passed it 31-0, with Al Davis of the Raiders abstaining) the players still need to sign off, formally, on the deal for it to kick in. Once it does, training camp can open and free agents can be signed, and the Detroit Lions can begin their adventurous climb from 0-16 a few years ago to the playoffs this year. (Am I a homer? Damn straight. Matthew Stafford is the man!) ACTION ITEMS:

Bullish: Probably the entire economy is at least tangentially related to the NFL. Certainly a case can be made for any consumption company. More specifically, this should be great news for companies that rely heavily on the NFL for programming and marketing, along with companies that sell products that are synonymous with the NFL. Consider CBS CBS and the owners of Fox NWSA, as they broadcast NFL games. Also, what would the NFL season be without Budweiser Beer BUD, Pepsi products PEP, Coke products KO, and, my personal dining choice, Buffalo Wild Wings BWLD.

Bearish: Who doesn't like the NFL? Unless you want to go to Las Vegas and bet against the Lions, there are no bearish plays. (Go Lions!)