NEW YORK — Delay of game might turn into delay of season for the NFL.

Not only does the most recent court decision upholding the validity of the owners’ lockout of the players mean a likely game of wait-and-see for the next several weeks — more than ever, it puts the opening of training camps in jeopardy. And, beyond that, preseason games.

And, beyond that, perish the thought, even the games that count.

Make no mistake, the 2-1 decision Monday by an 8th Circuit Court appeals panel to maintain the lockout until the league’s full appeal is heard beginning June 3 is a huge victory for the owners. The wording in that ruling by the majority strongly favored the NFL’s argument; the judges indicated they find a great deal of merit in the NFL’s claim that lifting the lockout without a new contract with the players would cause chaos and be harmful to the sport.

“I think this decision says the NFL really controls the game board here,” said Robert Boland, professor of sports management at New York University’s Tisch Center. “It is a big turn of fortune because the NFL controls the timing, they can control the clock. This allows the owners to put greater pressure on the players. If the injunction had gone into effect, it would have put the players in control of the game of leverage.”

Instead, the players are in “uncharted territory,” Boland said.

“The players don’t have a lot of options now,” he added. “Certainly there is enough litigation remaining and they could win. They could have a game changer from their case in front of the NLRB, but there’s no indication when a decision might come there.