You can bet Rob and Dave are pretty hepped that the NFL owners and the players have reached a new 10-year agreement that will get everyone back to work and protect the 2011 NFL season in its entirety. I’m not much of a football fan myself, but all I could think of during the work stoppage were all the people who would be affected should the season be lost or shortened. Think of all the workers in the stadiums, bars, restaurants and parking lots whose livelihoods would be affected far worse than any of the millionaires and billionaires haggling over millions of dollars in revenue. Especially with the economy the way it is now, the last thing this country needs is major league sports taking a siesta.
Now that the NFL has gotten its act straightened out, here’s hoping the NBA owners and players see the light as well.
I’m not much of a basketball fan but the NBA has a much more difficult task than the NFL had. They have teams who actually ARE losing money and other teams who cannot compete. Basketball is a sport where one or two players can make a huge difference. If only a handful of teams can afford those types of players AND make a profit, it’s not fair. Like all sports labor disputes, it’s not really about players vs owners. It’s always been the big markets vs the small markets.
Comment by Rob — July 27, 2011 @ 5:10 am
You’re absolutely right there, Rob, and I’m not sure the NBA owners and players know how good they have it as a brand. There certainly needs to be some kind of revenue sharing in place, I’m just wondering if the business model is unsustainable when you’ve got a smaller number of players associated with the mix and big BIG markets and a number of small markets.
Comment by The Great White Shank — July 27, 2011 @ 7:19 am
There are teams in the NBA losing money or who have spent years in the uncompetitive wilderness that have no reason to vote for any CBA that doesn’t address all of their concerns. And there are enough of them to drag this out for a long time. The players are simply caught in the crossfire.
Comment by Rob — July 27, 2011 @ 12:05 pm
The players will do alright, they’re making enough money. It’s the people whose livelihoods depend on the teams in their towns that are the real ones caught in the crossfire.
Comment by The Great White Shank — July 27, 2011 @ 10:08 pm