First off, the blame is to no sides advantage as both sides are both too stubborn to budge with agreements. Players union president Derek Fisher is adamant about getting fair representation for the players, and likewise the owners want to spend less. Next, neither side has an edge, as without players there is no league and without owners there is no money to be made.
It came to my attention that last Monday, the players, owners, and commissioner of the NBA met in New York to have a last ditch meeting to preserve games for the season. According to usatoday, Commish David Stern, "indicated a full schedule is unlikely. 'And every day that goes by, I think we need to look at further reductions,' he said."To no ones surprise the efforts of the meeting went no where despite how long it took (rumored to be 7 hours long).
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| As of right now, no NBA season in sight |
Everywhere I look I see players' reactions. Dwayne Wade claimed it was the owners fault completely and there was no one else to blame. Kevin Durant said something along those lines as well. Before we begin to pick the sides of our heroic star-athletes, I think you should hear the real story.
I just think that…the players should bow down….In 1999 we (were locked out) and missed half the season,"said Dennis Rodman. He wasn't done though. He went on to say, "Most players don't give a [expletive] about the game. They want the money and all of a sudden they want unity. I'm not taking the owners' side. I think the players should look at themselves."(yahoo sports)
The side I choose to support was the side I never thought I would: the owners' and Dennis Rodman's. Although they won't give up, I do realize their argument. When you look at how much players make, it freaks me out (the lowest you can make is around half a million a year, the highest currently at around 25 million). Less money on the players would mean more money for low-market teams and more dynasties can be created. Furthermore, if the players could just throw in the towel now, they'd be able to play a season to some extent! And yet, I have low hopes for my favorite sport.How can the NBA bounce back from this? The lowest ever attendance of the NBA was soon after the lockout in 1999 like what Rodman mentioned, and with an already low attendance from the past 5 years I can't even imagine the upcoming season.
I think the Dennis Rodman statement says it all. This is a guy who has been fined again and again for doing things that players feel like they have the right to do (missing practices and training camps, making controversial statements, etc). Now, he is almost siding with the owners by saying that players need to respect what the owners are trying to do and how they should be less selfish and greedy. I was always amazed by how much these athletes make for working 9 months of the year. For them to be so upset over small pay cuts in such bad economic times is beyond me.
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