Horrible Timing

The NBA is still suffering from a lockout. Yesterday the players decided perhaps their best course of action is to decertify the union and file an antitrust lawsuit against the owners. They felt that given an ultimatum of either accept the offer of a fifty fifty split or take a forty seven fifty three split of revenue was unfair.

Now this is the worst time in the world to pull this stunt. Horrible economic times are driving record amounts of people into foreclosure, unemployment, and onto food stamps.

In the midst of these times billionaires and millionaires are having a disagreement on how to split up millions of dollars. Side note, see any people occupying any player's homes? I think not. What you are seeing is a real time train wreck. Both sides are involved in a sport that is largely dependent upon people willing to pay for a product.

How many of those people will ever watch an NBA game again? I imagine basketball fans will gladly turn on college basketball many times over before ever watching another pro game. Who can blame them?

One side pays people to play a game, the other side gets paid to play a game. Ultimately the market and any remaining fans will decide the real fate of this league.

As for myself, well it isn't like we are watching the NBA during the Jordan era now is it? The product is a watered down shadow of previous years and for if I ever see another game it'll be by mistake. Yes you'll have some die hard fans that will buy tickets no matter what but will they be enough to keep it all afloat? Not if no one watches and the networks take a bath on the tv contracts.

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