Okay, let’s try this on for size… a current and therefore relevant sports commentary by yours truly. My expression of whether or not it matters if the NBA 2011-2012 season will grace our lives. My answer is absolutely… not. Who gives a hoot? Oh there are some who do I’m sure, but not a whole heck of a lot. Not only do most viewers of basketball agree that the only part of the game that matters is the final couple of minutes, but many admit to developing interest only during playoff time. Guilty. And we’re a long way from the madness of April, and that’s the start of the baseball season, so we’re good there.
It’s my opinion that whether or not a player is making a lousy $5 million a year and complaining that he should be making $6 million instead is just not something that I sympathize with, or can relate to; I doubt anyone living in the real world can. There are those people who are going to blame Commissioner Stern, some will blame the owners, but to be honest I think most will blame the players for being spoiled and greedy babies completely out of touch with the rest of us and the world at large.
The players look at what (they surmise) the team owners bring in and want a bigger wad of the dough. After all, they rationalize, they (the players) are the product – or more PC – the talent that allows the sport itself to exist. They are… sort of. How about this, without the ownership paying rent, paying payroll, paying taxes, paying this and that, there would be no league, no teams, and therefore no jobs for the players to make obscene amounts of cash, period.
Granted, it’s not exactly like employees of McDonald’s striking on similar principle. If workers at a fast food joint claim that without them there’s no one to flip the burgers or boil the fries, that’s probably not entirely true – certainly the owners of the establishments can manage those skills and deliver the goods if necessary. But without the NBA players on the court, I can’t see a pudgy Mark Cuban sprinting into the paint airmailing a monster slam dunk of any kind. So yes, basketball activities are dependant on the players playing, but also on the owners owning. Which brings me to the Big Picture part of our story…
If you want a larger share of the pot, and you identify the owners as having that, then guess what?…buy-in and become an owner (ala Michael Jordan). But buyer beware, it may not be all what it’s cracked up to be. As aforementioned, as the owner of a sports team, i. e. a business, it’s not all about income and revenue, it’s also about outgo and expenses. The price of doing business, and along with that the risks, in my mind, qualifies one to be entitled to the big share of the pie; that’s why they’re the boss and you’re the employee. You want more?… Be the boss, take the risks, endure the headaches. Or, play your game, have some fun, appreciate your incredible good fortune in life, and thank God you’re getting paid millions to pump in shots instead of nickels to pump gas.