Group For Fans Wants To End NFL Lockout

MINNEAPOLIS – A nonprofit group that says it speaks for sports fans is weighing in on the NFL lockout court battle.

The Sports Fans Coalition says ending the lockout is in the best interest of consumers, who spend billions on football and deserve to see their teams play in the 2011 season. The group made its arguments Friday in a filing in the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The players also want to end the lockout, saying it is causing them irreparable harm. A federal judge in Minnesota agreed and lifted it last month, but the league appealed.

The appeals court ruled Monday the lockout can stay in place until the court hears a full appeal on whether it is legal.

Attorneys for the players are expected to file briefs Friday, in advance of an appeals court hearing June 3.