The National Basketball Association’s ongoing labor dispute between club owners and the National Basketball Players Association has resulted in a complete standstill within the league.
Many thought the “lockout” would be a duplicate of what had just transpired in the National Football League – a down-to-the-wire standoff that would eventually be resolved just in time to begin the opening of the season.
However, on Oct. 20, NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver announced he had canceled training camps and the first two weeks of the 2011-12 regular season because a new collective bargaining agreement between the two sides had not been reached. The cancellation included all games originally scheduled to be played through Nov. 14. Then on Oct. 28, after several meetings between the two sides, came yet another announcement. This time the league was canceling games through Nov. 30.
“We share the frustrations of our fans, partners, and those who rely on our game for their livelihoods,” Silver said.
But do you really?
With the owners and players still haggling over percentages and salary caps at this late date, the NBA dilemma has taken on a personality of its own, threatening the entire season of one of the most lucrative businesses in the United States.
Shaun Powell of NBA.com weighed in by succinctly saying, “the only losers in this labor battle are the thousands of workers whose livelihoods depend on NBA games.”
There is one variable missing from this equation – the public. Not only has the lockout affected thousands of people from coast to coast who depend on the 82 games of these 30 teams in order to make a living, but the fans have not even been considered in the labor disputes that are highly dependent on their contributions to box office revenues.
I suggested making the lockout one of the issues of the Occupy Movement, which is going on nationally. After all, isn’t this corporate greed?
When Sekou Smith, sports writer for NBA.com, recently addressed the issue by allowing frustrated fans to comment on the lockout, one fan wrote, “There is a key party with no representation at the labor negotiations between the players and owners – the fans. The fans are the ones who pay those multimillion-dollar salaries on both sides and buy all those jerseys and other sports
paraphernalia…”
The feeling seems to be mutual among fans. Enough is enough.
This saga between the greedy and the greedier must end – and end soon or I’m afraid the fans will find out they do have other options – options that include getting their basketball fixes elsewhere.
Look Elsewhere For Professional B-ball
The WNBA has been a viable option for local basketball fanatics during of the NBA off-season, particularly in the wake of the Atlanta Dream’s three consecutive post-season outings. But what do fans do when the WNBA season has concluded and the NBA hasn’t stepped in on cue?
Well basketball fans, there is something else.
One is the American Basketball Association. The Atlanta Experience, the newest team to join the ABA in 2011, will play home games within the city limits and look to open the regular season on Dec. 3 against the Johnson City (Tenn.) Hatters.
In fact, Dion Glover, a former Georgia Tech and Atlanta Hawks standout, hosted an ABA/NBA Celebrity Basketball Game on Oct. 31, along with the Experience, as part of their Hoops & Hope “Stop The Bullying Tour,” at Riverdale High School. Fans enjoyed seeing the local team go against NBA notables such as Louis Williams (Philadelphia 76er’s), Anthony Morrow (New Jersey Nets), Jarrett Jack (Oklahoma Thunder), Damien Wilkins (Atlanta Hawks), Josh Powell (Atlanta Hawks), Derrick Favors (Utah Jazz) and Solomon Jones (Indiana Pacers).
It was a great way to get exposure while also allowing the NBA players to stay in shape.
And the crowd wasn’t disappointed.
With 56 seconds remaining to play and the NBA all-stars up by four, the Experience scored a quick bucket to cut their deficit to two, 109-107. After forcing a turnover, the Experience tied the score at 109-all before former Griffin High School standout Jay Brown sank a crucial 3-pointer in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter, stunning the NBA All-Stars 112-109.
“We just wanted to play,” said Experience head coach and general manager Alan “Duck” Richards. “These players have been working hard against one another during practice and this was a great opportunity for us to evaluate our game strategy.”
“We just want to bring affordable, fun-filled entertainment to the Atlanta community,” said Atlanta Experience co-owner and CEO Sharan Coleman.