Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis — along with seemingly the rest of America — wants the NFL lockout to be resolved. While most of us point to reasons like increased boredom and decreased profits to explain why we need football, Lewis has a rather unique take on the matter.
In a sit-down interview with ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio (a pair that has chatted before), Ray Lewis had some bold words to express how he felt about the lockout and what he thinks will occur if there is no football in the fall.
“Do this research if we don’t have a season — watch how much evil, which we call crime, watch how much crime picks up, if you take away our game,” Lewis told ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio.
That’s because, Lewis said, the NFL lockout affects “way more than us” — the owners and the players.
“There’s too many people that live through us, people live through us,” he said. “Yeah, walk in the streets, the way I walk the streets, and I’m not talking about the people you see all the time.”
When asked why he thought crime would increase if the NFL doesn’t play games this year, Lewis said: “There’s nothing else to do.”
I hate to admit it, but I agree with him. If there is indeed a lockout, many folks would be out of jobs. People that are vendors, work ticket sales and on-field operations would have to look elsewhere for employment opportunities. The NFL is a business, not a game. If the business isn’t operating, people aren’t getting paid.
Aside from the workforce being affected, it’s also worth noting how devastated NFL fans would be. Obviously, this is not as important as people losing paychecks, but watching football on Sunday has become an American tradition. I know my Sundays are filled with nothing more than the couch, football and wings from 1 p.m. until the final Sunday night showdown. At minimum, the majority of fans spend at least three hours watching their local team as part of their Sunday routine.
All this lockout blabber has led to a dreadful NFL offseason. By now we’re usually discussing what the Cowboys are doing with their offensive line, if Cam Newton is going to start from day one (or what he looks like when he sings), or who looks good in mini-camp. That stuff may not be exhilarating, but it’s better than listening to legal nonsense between millionaires and billionaires. Even the NFL draft, which has been thrilling in recent years, lacked excitement.
We all miss football. We need the NFL and people like Ray Lewis to keep our lives entertaining.
