COLUMN: NBA lockout good for some, bad for NBA
The Wright Idea
When is the deadline for a team to sign a free agent?
You know something is drastically wrong with the NBA when LeBron James is tweeting this question to John Clayton, NFL analyst for ESPN.
With the first two weeks of the season already officially canceled and today’s ESPN report that NBA Commissioner David Stern doesn’t think there will be any basketball by Christmas, it seems as if there’s no end in sight for the NBA lockout. That, however, doesn’t mean there aren’t still going to be some winners and losers as far as the NBA is concerned. Let’s take a look at a few.
Winners
1. The National Football League
The NFL is already the most successful professional sport in America; it’s not like it needs any help. That, however, is exactly what’s going to happen with the prolonged NBA lockout — no battles for viewers, tickets or anything of the sort. Even with its own lockout earlier this year, the NFL is still way ahead of the NBA. It seems the only thing the NBA can do better than the NFL is limit the duration and negative effect of its lockout.
2. NCAA Basketball
People want to watch basketball. If they can’t get the NBA, then they’re going to go to the next best thing, which is college basketball. People who would regularly attend NBA games are going to be trading those tickets for college games. People who would be watching the NBA at home are going to be tuning in to NCAA games. Instead of the NCAA getting everyone’s attention in March, it’s going to have their attention the whole season.
3. The NBA “stars”
They’ll get their money, either through endorsements or playing overseas. They’ll even get some extra time to rest their bodies. We all know that players would prefer to be playing but apparently not enough to figure out how to share $4 billion with NBA owners. The big guns want their money, and they’re going to get it one way or another.
Losers
1. The NBA fans.
There’ll be no more Blake Griffin dunks over everyone in sight, no more blocks by LeBron James on attempted 360 dunks and no more fourth-quarter LeBron meltdowns, for that matter. There’ll be no more Chris Paul crossover-pull-up jumpers. We don’t get to see Dirk and the Mavs try to defend their title. We can’t watch anyone else get their ankles broken by Derrick Rose. And of course, we’ll have no more halftime reports with EJ, Charles and Kenny. It’s a sad time for NBA fans. The NCAA is great and so is the NFL, but it’s not the NBA. It should be about the fans, not the money. There would be no money if there were no fans.
2. The “un-stars” of the NBA
Not only the “un-stars” but also the sometime-to-be rookies. Instead of honing their skills with the best of the best, they’ve been forced to settle for street ball and the occasional charity game. Not only are they without the guaranteed contracts and big bucks of the stars but they don’t get the opportunity to get better by playing the best. Playing out in the street is only going to get you so far.
3. The NBA
It’s ironic that the biggest loser of the NBA lockout is going to be the organization itself. Was 1999 really that long ago? Did the NBA really forget what happened after the lockout that year? It’s only in the last couple of years that the NBA has started to overcome the aftermath of the ’99 lockout. After 1999, for years there was a lack of revenue, a lack of fans, a lack of TV viewers and a lack of star power in the NBA. With the recent surge of young superstars and regular seasons and playo
ffs more exciting than ever, the NBA was starting to reach a level of popularity that hadn’t been seen in years. Yet owners and players seem to be in a never-ending money struggle. Will it ever end?
Auf wiedersehen NBA.
Unfortunately the old adage rings true once again: “Those who don’t learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.”
– Spencer is a sophomore majoring in broadcast journalism. He supports Manchester United and hopes to live long enough to watch the Cubs win a World Series. Send any comments to s.eliason3@gmail.com.