As summer formally approaches, NFL fans would all normally be intrigued by the buzz around football camps nationwide.

But this year, we are unfortunately relegated to keeping track of the state of the NFL as it continues to unfold in the judicial system.

The NFL lockout is still in session, and resolutions to all of the major issues – revenue distribution, expanded regular season schedules, post-retirement medical coverage and reduced offseason workouts – have yet to be agreed upon between the owners and players.

Owners have been clear on their stance in this stalemate. They have steadfastly claimed that expenses are increasing at a rate that does not agree with their revenue generation, thus mandating their need for a greater portion of the profit.

The logic appears to be sound. But as financially prudent as they may be, the owners will always be hard pressed to enlist the support of the common fan.

American football has become the nation’s most popular sport. It’s truly a team sport, it cannot be insensibly dominated by the talents of one player, and it rarely has repeat champions. It’s an extremely successful formula that cannot be duplicated by any of the country’s other beloved sports.

And with this unbridled love comes the obvious – an understandable connection with the athletes who perform the game at its highest level. As with any corporation, we develop relationships with those on the front lines…the Ray Lewises, the Drew Bresses…those who we see day-in and day-out, going through the struggle, those who are the facial representation of the corporate giant. And make no mistake about it – - the National Football League is a corporate giant.

But the biggest mystery that the owners within this giant are maintaining are the ones that its employees need to see: the hard financial figures. The owners have remained reluctant to share its financial standing with the players. And with revenue sharing being one of the agendas that need to be panned out, this reluctancy is clearly not a good thing.

Drew Brees is one of the guys in the trenches who we've come to appreciate.

In today’s corporate America, it’s an unspoken rule that information regarding a company’s earnings and/or financial state be cascaded down to its staff. Given the incidents of executives running off with retirement accounts of hard-working individuals, sharing those details have become commonplace. Therefore, deductively, we can reason that if they are not being shared, somebody is trying to hide something. And the owners have the benefit of being able to hide behind their collective union, preventing the pressures of the lockout from falling on one or two of them.

Without knowing the particulars of the court proceedings, the fans of this exciting game have a skewed view. Football players are not struggling monetarily, but they certainly put their physical well-being on the line to provide some of the best entertainment that money can buy. Considering that these men have a decade (or less) to assure their financial security, the least that they could know is how much they are making relative to the corporation which employs their talents.

The whole situation is quite strategic, perhaps too strategic for most to comprehend.

But to those connoisseurs of the NFL’s product, the appropriate strategy is clear. Be open and honest, because, in actuality, neither side has anything to really complain about.

T Lamont is the owner, administrator and author of all content for Ball or Nuthin\'. Feel free to contact T Lamont with a question or comment at ballornuthin@gmail.com.  All created Ball or Nuthin' content is the sole property of T Lamont. Read more from this author