As we continue to recover from a global economic recession, America is looking at a potential sports depression in 2011. The NFL is embroiled in the second month of its lockout, which has seen numerous mediation hearings that yielded minimal results. Fans have already become frustrated with the NFL.
Now it seems likely that once the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement ends in July, the league will have a lockout as well, which could have a severe impact on the 2011-’12 regular season. All signs point to trouble for the NBA and its relations with fans.
Presently, little progress has been made between the owners and the Players’ Association because neither side wants to budge from their demands. The owners want a hard salary cap, which will eliminate some salary cap exceptions and save them millions of dollars.
On the other side, the players don’t want any changes from the current system. Why would they want to change a system where Milwaukee Bucks guard Michael Redd can make $22 million while sitting on the bench?
As ESPN’s Bill Simmons put it, “It’s a broken system. (Lakers’ forwards) Luke Walton and Ron Artest should not be making half as much combined as (Lakers’ guard) Kobe Bryant.”
Simmons is correct; the league does need a change. According to Forbes columnist Mike Ozanian, 17 teams lost money in 2010, including the NBA-controlled New Orleans Hornets. The Hornets would have had to declare bankruptcy if Commissioner David Stern had not intervened to save the franchise.
The worst part of the looming lockout is the timing. The league’s wealth of talent – young talent — is reaching levels that haven’t been seen since the late 1990s.
Players like Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose, Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant and Miami Heat forward LeBron James are all younger than 30 and playing for teams in contention to win the NBA Championship.
With eight teams capable of winning it all, this spring’s playoffs have a chance to be the most memorable postseason since the NBA extended its first round to a best-of-seven format in 2003. A potential lockout would negate all of the progress the league has made in restoring popularity since its last lockout prior to the 1998-‘99 season.
Based upon the previous lockout, the work stoppage would be disastrous for both the owners and the players.
The owners could lose millions in potential revenue while incurring the same fixed costs. The players, if the 1998-’99 shortened regular season is any indicator, could enter the season out of shape and extremely rusty. The initial poor performance in 1999 eradicated any residual interest the common fan had.
Tony Kornheiser, co-host of “Pardon the Interruption,” called the dispute a battle “between tall millionaires and short millionaires.” That’s why the owners, who continue to see their bottom line numbers change colors from black to red, have the upper hand in negotiations.
The players have seen their salaries increase in recent years, and hopefully they will recognize that a reduction needs to occur for the greater good of the league, now and in the future. Losing any part of next season would be disastrous, and the fans may never forgive the NBA.