In mediation, analysis of progress or lack thereof usually proves productive.  The National Football League's team owners and players were in court-ordered mediation talks last week, only to have those talks break down without reaching any sort of settlement.   

Mediation Analysis: No Deal Possible Prior to June 7^th

This means that the earliest time a deal could possibly be struck is June 7^th, but since a final outcome to the current lockout has still to be determined, even that date seems optimistic.  Analysts on the scene, however, are not surprised that the mediation talks have been called off yet again.  Experts assessing the progress of the talks believe that owners do not truly want the talks to produce a new collective bargaining agreement with the players' union.  According to this thinking, the owners were only in mediation at all because a court had ordered them to be there.

This view is critical of the owners for wanting to retain as many profits as possible from league revenues rather than sharing them fairly through a new contract or collective bargaining agreement.  More dire analysis even suggests that the owners' true desire is to break the players' union.  This would indicate that the standoff will continue for quite some time, leading to disappointment for fans.  It could even potentially hurt the image and revenues of the league in the long run.

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