| The Cause of the Lockout |
Hello blogging world! Being that this is my first ever post, I wanted to write about something I care deeply about despite it's many flaws- the NBA. I've been a basketball fan for forever. From growing up in New Jersey worshipping Jason Kidd and Vince Carter, to now, a die-hard Chicago Bulls fan, I simply love the game. Although I can't call myself much of a basketball player (with white-kid hops and the jump shot of Shaquille), I find the sport pretty amazing.
Unless you live under a rock without television, you probably noticed the themes in major league sports this off-season. "Lock-out", "collective bargaining", and "labor disputes" were all themes and headlines for both the NFL and NBA. However in the NFL the owners and players had finally given in to compromise rather than point fingers and bicker, for the sake of the fans. The NBA, on the other-hand, can't say the same. Much of the arguing comes down to "our money vs. yours". As, ESPN.com explains it, the owners want more money for the teams, to repair injured franchises and level the playing field for all teams. All-the-while, players just want money. Put simply, it's millionaires fighting billionaires.
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| What about the fans? |
To be honest, the fact that the season is cancelled due to arguing over money makes me sick. I'm tired of hearing the same thing over and over in the NBA. From Lebron bringing his talents to Miami to Allen Iverson leaving the NBA for Turkey to make an even cruder amount of money, the theme of "making more money" in the NBA is not unfamiliar. In the 1988-1989 lockout Patrick Ewing was quoted saying, "Sure, we make a lot of money, but we spend a lot too" (Off the Dribble). How can the players not see that its not all about themselves or the millions of dollars they make from just showing up to basketball games? The NFL's lockout was resolved by fans first: by realizing that football was a much-needed diversion for millions and millions of fans across America. So what if you make a couple million less a year for your salary, the cancellation of another NBA season will only make it less popular and in the long run, more teams will suffer. I can understand the side the GM's are coming from, but the players?? How can I still love and follow a sport played by money hungry self-ists? I really hope the love of the game can outlast the immense greed, and that at least a partial season can be played, but we'll just have to see.
The Baer is straight grizzly as always. Go Bulls.
ReplyDeleteVery well put Casey
ReplyDeletewhy thank you anonymous
ReplyDeleteHas the 2011-2012 season definitely been canceled?
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you, Casey. Especially in a time of recession, it's hard for a lot of people to sympathize with the players. For the amount of money the top tier players make, it angers people that they are complaining. Also it's really frustrating because the NBA just had one of the best seasons in history, which lead me to believe in June, that the owners and players would figure something out. I was wrong and it seems the NBA has lost its momentum coming from last season.
ReplyDeletewell if you're looking at it from the player's standpoint, you're not going to play in the league forever, so you kind of need to make as much money as you can. Sure Lebron and other superstars are set for life, but the other players are not.You also have take into consideration that a good amount of their salary is going to taxes and their agent's pocket.
ReplyDeleteIn the long run the players don't care about you or their fans, they care about themselves. Just like everyone else in the world.
I disagree with the post stated above. First off, not everybody in the world only cares about themselves. Secondly, basketball is a sport that brings together people from all over the world with a just one similar interest: basketball. Playing in the NBA shouldn't just be because of the money, it should be because playing basketball is what they love to do and they are good at it. A majority of the team are die hard basketball players. Take the Bulls for example, Derek Rose made a much better life for himself than what he had growing up so I can assume he is not all in it just for the money because he didn't have it when he was younger. On the other hand, Joakim Noah was raised by a professional tennis player and a supermodel mother but I can also tell by the fights he gets on the court, he loves basketball too.
ReplyDeleteWell if we're going to use examples, look at Lebron James. He ditched all of his hometown fans to go to play for Miami. Sure you could he left because his dream was to win a championship (which could relate to his love of the game), but that's not what we are arguing. He left because he was selfish and couldn't win a championship in Cleveland. Cleveland fans went from watching one of the best teams in the league, to the worst. So obviously not all players care about fans
ReplyDeleteAfter reading of this argument, I'd like to clarify what I mean. I DO think the players love the game of basketball and their money, but I don't think they love their fans as much.
ReplyDeleteexcuse my typos, im being rushed
ReplyDelete