The NFL has been printing money for decades. A 20% loss of viewers/fans just cuts into bloated profits. It will take another 30-40% loss to wake up owners, players and sponsors.
Sad.
You're probably right, but the economics for pro sports is based on ever-increasing revenues. TV networks are still the golden goose, to the point ticket revenue is an afterthought. Let's see how season ticket renewals go this year.
Players and teams have become used to salary cap levels growing year after year. What happens when next year's level doesn't increase as much as they thought?
All signs point to a very contentious CBA negotiation when the contract is up in 2021. If the players were smart (we all know better than that, especially the owners), they would save enough money to carry them through a year long strike. They have three years to do that. Otherwise, the owners will be able to wait them out.