Matt Charbonneau
The National Basketball Association’s lockout surpassed the 150-day mark last week and enthusiasts have conceded the chances of a worthwhile season are more bleak than ever.
As each day passes without successful negotiations between the league and the players’ union, more would-be games are cancelled and the prospective season is cut even shorter.
Who really cares?
Basketball had once been respected as the only major sport whose season was never disrupted by labour strife. But now, the majority of fans are fed up with “the millionaires-versus-billionaires pissing contest,” as New Jersey Net free agent Jayson Williams calls the collective bargaining dispute.
This fan apathy is heating up as basketball proves it’s no better than other sports.
While owners and players argue, one need only note the common theme of money to understand the complex, yet simple, problem.
Greedy players are bickering with greedy owners over absurd amounts of money, while fans suffer without professional basketball.
It’s the same old game and fans are tired of it.
As demonstrated in the 1995-96 baseball strike, fans share no sympathy with players who whine about how much money they’re losing during a work stoppage.
And really, can you blame them?
There are basketball players who ‘earn’ up to or more than $15 million annually who must support out-of-wedlock children, while paying insurance for their fleets of luxurious cars and making mortgage payments for their mansions.
While some players mention how they must ‘start getting tight’ and save money, the average fan laughs at how the players have no clue how comfortable they really are.
Sadly, few players acknowledge how fans work tirelessly to support themselves and their families, providing food, shelter, clothing and a future while earning a modest income.
With NFL football nearing season’s end and NHL hockey getting into prime stride, sports fans are focusing on other activities.
Besides, college hoops will undoubtedly soon attract many people.
It is time basketball players realize their immature behaviour is not gaining them any rewards. Instead, it’s driving fans away — fans who follow games on TV and radio, who buy tickets to attend games … who pay the ridiculous contracts the players are demanding.