UNITED STATES—Since the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the players and owners of the NFL expired in March, the biggest question on everyone's mind was whether or not there would actually be professional football this fall. Fans all across the country  looked at their season ticket passes and wondered if it was possible to get a refund, while the owners of the United Football League gave each other high fives because now they were the only legitimate professional football league in America besides Arena Football, which we all know really isn't football.

With a lot of the negotiations falling apart and the battle being moved from private meetings to the court room, it seemed very possible that a lot of husbands would lose the excuse of Monday night football to justify staying in a bar all night with their buddies.

At first glance it may seem to the untrained eye that the only people really affected by this lockout are the players and the owners, but fans are hurting the most. There would be no reason to play if it weren't for the fans who show up to the stadium five hours early just to tailgate or tune in every Sunday afternoon on television. Without the fans football wouldn't be the phenomenon that it is today, so that is why it feels good to finally be able to show the fans some light at the end of the tunnel.

According to reports from NFL.com and Mike Freeman of CBS Sports, both sides have begun to consider compromising and moving towards what is needed to make an agreement so the matter can finally be settled as soon as next week or the end of the month at the latest.

This news comes on the heels of the latest session of negotiations that lasted two days in Maryland and finished up on Wednesday. The owners are scheduled to have their own meeting in Chicago this upcoming Tuesday. The next meeting for further negotiation between the players and owners has not been set, but will surely be happening very soon.

Both sides already have financial reasons to reach some sort of agreement soon after the NFL estimated that up to $1 billion could be lost if preseason was to be canceled. The pressure is on more than ever to get a deal.

Money has already been lost on both sides due to the cancellation of minicamps and sponsors pulling ads. Free agency has also been deeply affected by the lack of CBA. Veteran players have no idea where they are going to end up, and undrafted rookies are quickly losing out on the time needed to show what they have to offer.

Players who are currently signed by teams haven't let the lockout affect them too much. Team captains have gathered their teams together for unofficial workouts, injured players have used the time to get themselves healthy, and some players, such as Alterraun Verner and Troy Polamalu, have used the extra time to go back to college and get their degree.

Alterraun Verner. Photo courtesy of Facebook

-