The collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and NFL Players Association is set to expire Thursday.

The owners have threatened to lock out the 2011 season, or not play any games, if a new deal can’t be reached because the two sides can’t agree on big issues.

These issues include revenue sharing, the possibility of a longer, 18-game regular season and a rookie wage scale, according to a recent Sports Illustrated article.

All the issues eventually boil down to a bunch of rich people complaining about not having enough money, even though they already make millions.

Let me put something into perspective for you, NFL people. While your “labor issues” are essentially about how you are going to split the billions in annual revenue brought in by the NFL, there are far more serious labor issues going on in Wisconsin.

Union workers in the state could soon lose their rights to collectively bargain with the government as part of a budget reduction plan proposed by Republican Gov. Scott Walker.

The plan calls for unions to only be able to negotiate wage increases to keep up with inflation and would affect teachers, civil service workers and other state employees, according to a recent MSNBC.com article.

The plan would also force workers to contribute more to pensions and health care costs.

While these union workers are fighting to keep their rights, many of which they had for some time now, the people of the NFL are trying to fight for more money.

Whether or not you support unions or the government’s attempts to limit them, you should at least recognize that the issues brought up by the current situation in Wisconsin are way more important than the labor problems facing the NFL.

The players, owners, coaches and everyone else who works for the NFL have some of the best jobs in the world. They make a ridiculous amount of money just for being involved in a game. These Wisconsin union workers are the low-paid people that provide essential functions which serve society.

Everyone in the NFL is upset about not making enough money from a game; meanwhile, workers that actually contribute something to society are just trying to keep their rights.

Although the issues are important to everyone involved in the NFL, they run the risk of alienating their fans by continuing to argue about how they’re going to split more money than the majority of their fans will ever see.

In the end, there is far more for them to lose than there is to gain.

So stop being so greedy, NFL people; you guys have more than enough money to go around.

Reach an agreement before the Thursday deadline because no matter which side wins, you’ll still all be way better off than your fans, especially the ones that work in Wisconsin.