Will lockouts prove seasons should be shorter? 

July 25 felt like Dec. 25 for NFL fans.  The early morning hours of Nov. 26 felt like Dec. 25 for NBA fans. 

Those were the days the lockouts for the NFL and NBA, respectively, became things of the past.

The NFL's 130-day lockout was excruciating.  The NBA's 149-day lockout provided even more pain for pro basketball fans, as that league actually missed regular season games. 

But in a strange way, both lockouts could help both leagues and both fan bases. 

The NFL's ratings were already the highest of any league in major American sports.  This year, they've been even higher. 

Despite the huffing and puffing from casual fans, I have little doubt the NBA's ratings will be as high, if not higher, once the Christmas Day triple-header tips off the league's 66th season.  Are you telling me you're not going to tune in to see LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat open the season in Dallas against the same team that won the championship on Miami's home floor five and a-half months ago?  You really won't watch to see the expressions on the Heat players' faces as Mark Cuban and the Mavs raise their championship banner right in front of them?

What I've heard from more than a few casual NBA fans is the length and timing of the season is what it should always be. 

I don't know if there is any symbolic irony in that the league plans on having a 66-game season during its 66th year of existence.  But many have wondered why not condense the normal 82-game season down to about 65 every year? 

I'm not necessarily in favor of it, for the same reason Major League Baseball fans dismiss people who believe it should shorten the 162-game season it has used for decades.  Perhaps it would build casual fan interest that much more if there were fewer games to have to digest before the playoffs, which is when most casual fans join the diehards in making the NBA the most-watched pro sport behind the NFL. 

What we do know is this:  When fans are starving for the sports they love, they appreciate it more when it returns.  In other words, you don't know what you have until it's gone.  Once it's back, we all fall in love again. 

Personally, I can't wait until the new season begins.  Much like we wondered at the start of the NFL season, I'm intrigued by the prospects of the teams that have been together the longest, being in the best position to rise to the top because of their familiarity with one another during a period when training camps will be very short. 

In football's case, it still hasn't really mattered, as rookie quarterbacks such as Cam Newton and Andy Dalton have seamlessly transitioned to the pro game from college; and a rookie head coach, Jim Harbaugh, has led San Francisco to an overwhelming first-place lead. 

Does that mean rookies will make a huge splash in the NBA this season?  Does it mean a team will come from out of nowhere to win its division? 

Who knows?  But one thing we do know is for 10 years in football's case and at least six in basketball's ... there will be labor peace.  No more talk about BRI (basketball-related income) and CBAs (collective bargaining agreements).  Only touchdowns, points, rebounds and wins.  

And for that, Christmas indeed has come early for all of us.