Good news NBA haters, the NBA may be heading to a lockout this summer. I can’t imagine that commissioner David Stern or NBA union president Billy Hunter would allow this to happen. When people argue over millions, if not billions of dollars, bad things can happen. I am not going to pretend that I know anything about the current collective bargaining agreement or what is keeping the two sides apart (length of the players’ maximum contracts is the big reason). One thing I do know is that the NBA, while more popular than the National Hockey League, cannot survive a season long work stoppage.
The NBA is by far a more popular sport than the NHL, but it has trouble drawing in viewers on TV. The ratings for the NBA, while immensely better than the NHL’s, are nowhere near where they were when Jordan, Magic, and Bird were playing. I know what you are saying, “There is no Magic, Bird, or Jordan to help the ratings.” The NBA has plenty of superstars to build their league on and they have tried. Lebron is the next “Jordan” some have said. The NBA and Lebron’s “former” agents have made sure that Lebron is all over the place. Let’s not forget that Shaq, at this time, is the biggest superstar in the game. His little buddy Dwayne Wade is creeping into the superstar status, also. I am not saying that those players are on the same level as Magic, Bird, and Jordan, but the NBA does not have a shortage of stars. While the NBA is more popular than the NHL, they are not bullet proof from a volley of bad public relations and fan apathy. The example set by the NHL and how they handled the situation is just one reason why the NBA cannot survive a work stoppage. I feel there are two other reasons why the NBA is not as popular as it has been in the past and will not survive a season long work stoppage.
Players have what seems like an unending supply of million dollar bills, and that for some that is enough to not watch the NBA and a work stoppage will only make things worse. It doesn’t matter if the owners are the ones who cause the work stoppage, the players will shoulder the blame as well. Why do some hate the players and the money they make? It is just human nature. We all want what we want, but these players seem to be the only ones who get what they want. Why should they be able to have everything they want for just playing a game? Why can’t teachers or policeman have these huge salaries? They perform a service for humanity, while the players perform a service for entertainment. Greed and jealousy and a high rate of knuckleheads play a part in the low ratings.
We all would love to have their money and most never will approach that income level. It’s seems logical to me that I wouldn’t be able to watch these guys, these guys who complain about problems that we all would gladly take on for their paycheck. Look at Latrell Sprewell, earlier this season he was complaining about not being able to feed his family on less than $14 million. Excuse me? We have people who legitimately have problems like this and he tries to make himself out to be the one who has trouble making a living. I don’t think so. That does not sit well with many people and not just non NBA fans. If some fans already have distaste for the players and the money they make, then when the NBA shuts down because they can’t come to an agreement on millions and millions of dollars that will push many over the edge, never to come back.
While the money issue is a pretty good reason why some fans have quit watching the NBA, I believe the style of play is the biggest reason the NBA is in trouble. In the early 80’s the NBA was a scoring league. It was not uncommon to see scores in the triple digits in every game on the schedule. It was also not uncommon to never see a player play defense. In the late 80’s/early 90’s A man changed the game forever. That man was Pat Riley. Pat Riley was known as the man behind “Showtime” in Los Angeles. He then went to the opposite coast to New York and quickly realized that he could not win with the same philosophy. So for you Star Wars fans, Pat Riley took his Han Solo freewheelin’, runnin’ and gunnin’ style and changed it to Darth Vader methodical, oppressive, brutal style of play. The New York Knicks adopted a defensive scheme that would insure that no fan could enjoy a game the Knicks were involved in. It was not uncommon for the Knicks to score under 70 in a few games a year. It was putrid, and to the horror of the whole NBA fanbase, other teams, mostly the Eastern Conference teams, adopted this style of play. It is my belief that this slowdown, defensive style of play killed of fan interest, except for the hardcore fans. It seems to me that if you don’t have the horses, you have to figure out another way to win, and Pat Riley understood this when he became a defensive minded coach. While he was very successful, he put the NBA into a funk that it is languishing in to this day.
Fortunately a new movement is afoot, a movement that likes to run and gun and score 100 points a game. While the better teams who use this philosophy reside in the Western Conference of the NBA, quite a few teams are trying to make the game exciting again. Check out a Phoenix Suns game or a Dallas Mavericks game. It is exciting and has high energy. If one of these run and gun teams can get to the NBA Finals, I believe other teams will adopt this style of play. The NBA fears change, but if a change can produce more wins or a shot at the championship, then more NBA teams would adapt.
If the NBA decides to have a work stoppage, this new style of play will not get a chance because the fans will be turned off. The NBA has already lost some popularity over the last 10 to 20 years. Can they really afford to turn off more fans by allowing a work stoppage? I don’t think so. If there is a work stoppage you may just find out how easy it is to live without the NBA. Ask the hockey fans how it feels.
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