Honestly it would probably be better to have no football at all than this sham. It's like constantly smelling brownies but never getting to eat them. They wave the promise of football in front of my face and then they pull it away just as I reach for that bliss.

Imagine a hypothetical world in which the NHL was using replacement refs. In this hypothetical world they never called offsides, so players got used to playing without offsides. Then at the end of the game when your team is losing 3-2, your team goes on a 3 on 1 breakaway. They cross the blue line puck first in perfect formation. Nobody could doubt the integrity of the play. The ref blows the play dead and signals offsides. The opposing team gets the puck back on the faceoff and your team loses.

In this same hypothetical world the refs are allowing all types of dangerous plays to go unchecked. People are getting hit after the whistle, after they pass the puck, on the open ice with no puck in sight. People are getting hit in the back, slashed in the face, stomped on while they're down. The goalie is fair game to get pummeled. Enforcers are given free reign on the ice. One by one your favorite players are getting injured. The greatest players in the league are getting brought down by cheap shots. Brendan Shanahan takes a 180 and declares that the replacement refs have it under control. He will not suspend anybody. He will not protect anybody. This is an extremely dangerous situation.

These are just two examples of what is happening in the NFL right now. 1) They are tearing wins away from us in tragic fasion. 2) They are putting the players in harm's way. There's more, but that's it for now. The referee lockout is just as bad as the NHL lockout.