NBA fans needs to root for the owners to succeed in their busting of the greedy Players Union.
Like it or not, these are the men who put their cash on the line at some time in order to put their franchises in the court. They are the ones who either put up the financing themselves, or put together the group of investors that support the franchise. The owners are the people who put together the ticket sales, marketing, public relations and promotions departments for their team, the same people who help make the players superstars. They are the ones who lead the way in donating their resources to benefit schools, charities and community projects. They are the barons who insured new arenas are built for the comfort of those fans paying often exorbitant prices for a single seat.
At the end of the day, the owners are the ones who make each franchise run and make it possible for every fan, either in person, on TV or any other form of media, to indulge their passion for the game, root for their colors, feel proud in the team representing their city, and deify athletes with amazing talents.
At the end of the day, the owners make every franchise run. There can be absolutely not one shred of doubt that the owners deserve much more than the 50% of revenues they are offering the players. Yet they are willing to understand that the players bring people to those arenas, help sell the jerseys, put profits in their pockets, the coffers of a city, the players bank accounts, and remain exceptionally generous in cutting that profit pie in half.
Owners need to set a hard line they will not allow the players to ignore and destroy the game they have created.
NBA fans need to root for the players to succeed in busting the Owners greedy solidarity.
Like it or not, these players are the reason the game has grown to become a true world power. These are the exceptional athletes who make dropping a ball into a bucket look easier than breathing. They put their careers on the line each and every night playing a game that, thanks to their peers, continues to expand worldwide. Without their efforts, ticket sales, franchise marketing and public relations would have little to tout and leave plenty of these front office mavins looking for a new job. They also leave a permanent, positive mark donating their precious free time and opening their wallets to benefit schools, charities and community projects.
At the end of the day, the players make every franchise run. There can be absolutely not one shred of doubt that the players deserve more than the 50% of revenues being offered by the owners. They put bodes in the seats, help the owners and the NBA play arena Monopoly with cities and local governments getting taxpayers to cough up the cash for these home court palaces. Not only do they deserve every single nickel they can get, they actually deserve a lot more than even their Union is demanding.
Players need to set a hard line they will not allow the owners to ignore and destroy the game they take pride and have have created.
See? Wasn’t that easy?
To hear a number of these NBA “experts” pout and tout on either side of this line is the height of commentary comedy. The owners are not solely responsible for “destroying the game”. The players are not solely responsible for “destroying the game”.
Because no matter what happens, the game will not be destroyed. It won’t even suffer a bruise.
Both sides are just as greedy as their counterparts across the bargaining table. And both sides could care less about what you, the fan, want or yearn for.
Which leads us to one logical, inescapable, definitive conclusion.
The entire 2011-2012 NBA season must be canceled. Wiped out. Abandoned.
Immediately.
Let’s lay it on the mid-court line here for a few minutes, cut thru all the hyperbole, try to leave our emotions on the bench and put this into some honest perspective.
- The planned shortened season is a farce. No matter who wins or loses, the season will be so short as to not even be worthy of half an asterisk. Injuries will be up as everyone rushes to get back onto the court for a few paychecks. Players will take shots at the owners for shoving together a half-baked season and being the cause of their woes. Owners will spew back at the players for not being ready and helping heal the wounds caused by the lockout.
- A shortened season would forever be referred to as a pathetic and misguided joke. The playoffs will always be looked upon with derision, and the “championship” team will be a fraud due to the lower number of games played in relation to history. There is not one compact season played in recent memory that deserves the respect always accorded a true campaign of accomplishment.
Redskins fans will bristle, but their 1983 Super Bowl title will always be tainted thanks to a 16 game “tournament” and two teams with losing records being allowed in after only 9 games played. MLB’s “split season” in 1981 was more flawed than a Lindsay Lohan plea bargain. The 1994 strike meant no World Series champion, helped put the Montreal Expos out of business, featured Dave Winfield being traded for a dinner check, and ruined what might have been historic seasons by several players. And the following 1995 season was saved (barely) with only 18 games lost to overall greed. Don’t even get me started on the NHL and their disastrous ’94-95 lockout. A whopping 48 games were played, barely enough for guys to warm up their right hooks.
Any champion emerging from a shortened season is a mockery. To measure them against title teams of past and future seasons is an insult to those who took it the full yard. Take nothing away from the players and their efforts, but the trophy raised is forever and rightfully blemished. Neither fan nor player deserves to be shorted in such a careless manner.
- A season of any length now will be a financial and emotion ripoff of the one person really nailed by this idiocy, and that of course is the fan. Then again, let’s not forget that at the end of the day neither side really cares how it impacts you. They know you’re all a band of suckers. Cancel the entire season and it will take no more than five years for the game to be fully back and smell the dinero. You won’t be able to give it up. Baseball, football and hockey here in America have proven it. You’ll attend, watch or listen to the games in any shortened season and happily pay whatever price they set.
- A 50/50 split of the net revenues is exactly how it should be. Period. No logical debate to the contrary. One side cannot exist without the other. Ownership took the risks and built the franchises. Players used what they were given and made everyone wealthy beyond their wildest imagination. The buck stops right there. And seeing how the two sides are nowhere close to solving their bank account deposits, (despite all the “we’re on the verge of a deal any minute now” breathless news reports you might hear), let’s put this senseless hyperbole and false hopes to rest.
Even if there is a settlement tomorrow, surrender the season for the good of the game.
And the fans.
Fans will survive the withdrawal. Players will still be looking for freebies at the nightclubs. Owners will have plenty of tax loopholes to use. Cities holding the mortgage on those taxpayer funded arenas will cry poverty and still find plenty of your money to keep the lights on thanks to music concerts, truck pulls, yoga conventions and cooking shows.
Life will go on. The game could then be handed a golden opportunity to return stronger than ever. Life above the rim will return. You’ll be back. You’ll buy another new jersey, pay exorbitant prices for everything from tickets to talismans, and forget the lost season with that first “full facial” instant replay.
And we’ll be saved a regrettable truncated season led by those holding the reins and laughing the hardest.
Ed Berliner retains his mean jump shot from the 3-point line and realizes this article likely kills any chance he has at free agency. He also recommends readers visit "Fantasy Sports Masters" http://fantasysportsmasters.com while waiting for the 2012-2013 NBA season.
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