NBA Lockout: More Than Just a Game
There are several sayings that come to mind when I think of the current situation of the NBA Lockout, but the one that comes to mind the most is “Monkey see Monkey do.” It seems like the NBA is the little brother and it is following every step of its big brother the NFL.
The NBA lockout went into effect on July 1st, at the stroke of midnight just as Cinderella’s fairy Godmother told her all good thing will come to an end. Just like the NFL lockout, the NBA lockout is exactly over the same thing, “money.”
Money has always seemed to be the root of all evil when it comes to owners not willing to pay their players their net worth for their play, and the players feeling they deserve more for their playing. The owners feel as they are taking a lost with giving these players millions of dollars, and them not being the players they drafted and having invested their money into. As any investor knows when you invest your money into something or someone, there are chances you will not get the true value of your money and might even take a lost.
Another thing that sits heavily on owners’ minds is the fear of their star player leaving their team and taking their talents elsewhere, after they have not only invested money into that player, but built the team around them and having to fill the void via the draft, free agency, or trades with other teams. From the players standpoint, they feel they are worth every cent the owners invest in them if not more since it is them every day that’s leaving blood, sweat and tears on the basketball courts every time they put on their uniforms and play for four quarters. To the players this is their job that they were hired to do, and just like any hardworking, motivated and dedicated employee they want to be paid for their work.
Just like the NFL Lockout the NBA Lockout doesn’t affect the owners and players as much as it effects the fans and the community, and it seems its always the fans who go forgotten about. It’s the fans who take their hard-earned money and pay the money that fattens the NBA owners and player’s pockets.
So, what would happen if the fans staged a lockout and didn’t come out to support the teams at the million dollar stadiums, or decided to watch one of the many reality TV shows instead of tuning into TNT or ESPN to watch a game? Would the owners and players come to your living room and discuss situations on how they could make things better? Most likely 10 times out of 10, no they wouldn’t. Nobody wants these lockouts to go on not the owners, players, the fans or the communities that support these teams.
We would all just like to root for our favorite teams as we put on our favorite players, and enjoy a good game. If the NFL and NBA Lockouts don’t come to an end they may have to widen the tracks at Nascar because there will be a lot more participants at the next Daytona 500.