Don’t you just love it when you hear that millionaires and billionaires are fighting over money? If there is anything that has driven me nuts about these lockouts, it’s that they are so cavalier about the need for their business. If Chase bank had a lockout, they would work so fast to get it back on track. If they didn’t, they would lose lots of accounts to competing banks. I just wish that professional sports lockouts would go the same.
One thing I will say, as a positive, is that at least the NFL had the sense to get all of this mess taken care of before the season started. Sure, the lockout was big news back in February, but that gave everyone ample time to get their whining out of the way. The NFL season wasn’t affected, and it may have been one of the best-hyped season since the last lockout (because you forget what life is like without your favorite sport until you face the prospect of not having it). The NFL lockout lasted 138 days. All things considered, that’s not awful.
Now, in comparison, the NBA lockout has been going on for 84 days and the season is drawing near. That would be ok, if the talks hadn’t begun about three weeks ago. With the NFL lockout, I heard of each meeting that happened (and there were many). The NBAPA and owners don’t seem to care how frequently they meet, or if the meetings are effective or not (all reports suggest they have not been very successful thus far).
So, what are the differences in the arguments? There really aren’t a whole lot of differences. The NFL wanted to restructure rookie salaries, claim some more revenue, add two more games to the season and not have to pay for player healthcare. The NBA owners want more money, want to restructure the rookie pay scale and the mid-level exception, change pay to a flat rate rather than a percentage and not do revenue sharing. I think the biggest problem of the lockout is revenue sharing.
The NFL is able to do revenue sharing easily because they are so well paid. Their TV deals are incredibly lucrative, and the contracts are national. So because so much money is coming in, it’s not that difficult for NFL owners to share. With the NBA, the TV deals are all local, and the revenue is different for each team. Therefore, it makes it a lot more difficult for teams like the Lakers to share because they “earned it.”
Some owners want that extra money for their teams (the Hornets, Bucks, Bobcats, etc.), but the owners of successful teams don’t want to share. With the owners divided, it makes the lockout look like it’s not going to be resolved anytime soon. Therefore, the 2011- 2012 season might be lost. It is likely that serious talk won’t begin until training camp is about to start. Players want to play, and owners want ticket receipts. Most of all, the fans want to watch.
I have been an NBA fan since 1993 when the Suns played the Bulls in the finals. I wasn’t happy with the lockout in the late 90s, and I’m not happy with this one. If the NBA isn’t careful, they are really going to shoot themselves in the foot. If they want money, they might be losing it by bickering about money in front of those who don’t really have it.
Author: Andrew Snow is a freelance writer for MyCollegesandCareers.com. My Colleges and Careers helps people determine if an online education is right for them and helps them understand which online colleges and online courses they can choose from to reach their goals.