NHL Lockout, NFL Ref Strike Hard on Fans, Businesses

Instead of killing penalties this season, players from the Boston Bruins may be trying to to kill time instead. That's because the Players Association has declared an official lockout only weeks before the season is set to get underway.

Depending on who you ask, the costs to Boston businesses could be as high as $1 million per game, provided the sides don't reach an agreement in the weeks before play is scheduled to begin.

The NFL is dealing with its own strike problems. Referees have been on strike since the season's start, and if you've watched any games the past two weeks you've seen the blown calls, game delays and general confusion. Meanwhile, the NFL continues to enjoy booming ratings and ubiquitous coverage, leaving exasperated fans and players in the lurch.

Today we talk with Roger Abrams about labor relations in professional sports, and whether fans, players and businesses are being hung out to dry in the interim.

GUEST

• Roger Abrams is a professor of law at Northeastern University. He's the author of Sports Justice: The Law and Business of Sports, and he's acted as an arbitrator for Major League Baseball.

Watch exasperated fans' videos showing questionable calls by the NFL's replacement referees.