So the NFL is shutting down. Some folks are moaning about the greedy players. Others are moaning about the greedy owners.

Quit moaning, folks. The players are greedy. So are the owners. I accept that, and yet every time I will side with the players in these disputes.

But Jon, you say, you're so rational when it comes to your dismissal of anything conservative and your passionate embrace of progressive politics. How can it be that you would so blindly pick one group of people over another, no matter the facts on the ground?

Easy. The word "owner."

The owners of professional sports clubs not only believe that they own the intangibles that come with the good will generated by said sports club. Most of these guys believe that they own the players, too. Players sign personal services contracts, see, and you know who those players are serving?

The contract reads the name of the club, but most owners tend to act as if the contract is with them personally. They believe that the players are their property. And like any owner anywhere, they don't like recalcitrant property.

Were you happy when your car refused to start when the temperature dropped below zero? Hell no. And I bet a few of you pounded the steering wheel or even dropped an f-bomb or two. Hey, that's only human. A machine is a machine, and it doesn't care.

People do, though. People don't like it when they're treated like property. They like to be treated like people. And while owners are happy to treat players like people during the good times (championship seasons, etc.), they're not so nice during labor disputes. Owners tend to call players names ("greedy" tends to be overused the most) and generally act like pigs.

There is also the fact that I find it difficult to identify with some of the richest folks on the planet. These people have enough money to buy a yacht for every day of the year if they wanted--and some of them have. By and large, owners are people who are not particularly well-versed in reality.

There are some owners I like. Mark Cuban answers e-mail from fans. He sits in the stands and has beers with fans. He wears t-shirts to the games. He can be abusive and abrasive, but he tends to go after officials and the NBA. Mark Cuban, in other words, takes it to the man. I can dig that.

Most of the other owners, though, sit in their luxury boxes, hobnob with VIPs and look around as if to say, "Hot damn, I do own all of this." Not every owner has this attitude, to be sure, but most do.

Players are petty, greedy and, as often as not, truly stupid. They tend to act the fool off the field (or court) and can't always be counted on to behave while discharging their professional duties. Some are very bad human beings.

Still, I'm gonna stick with the players. They're not as rich as the owners, and on the whole, they seem more connected to the fans than the owners.

Of course, I'm not that worried about the upcoming NFL season. I'm a Chiefs fan, and they're not make the playoffs in 2011, even if there is a season. Lockout…strike…whatever. I won't have any problems finding something else to attract my attention. I'm pretty sure there will be plenty of college football, soccer, hockey and the like.

Hey owners! You really want sports freaks to discover that they don't mind a fall without the NFL? I'm betting you won't take that risk.

Jon Worley always wanted to own a team, until he figured out that owners who meddle with personnel decisions tend to own losing teams.