Hey everyone! After a very hectic 4 weeks, I'm baaaack ;) Cheers to a fabulous Thanksgiving weekend--I had a fairly eventful last several days, with my aunt and uncle in town, shopping, cooking and running 5ks...woo! I would really love if you, my loyal and beloved followers, could send me feedback regarding posts as well as topics you would like to see explored in the future :D Sound good? Oh yay!
Early this morning and end to the NBA lockout was officially negotiated. (As if we didn't see this one coming...) The $4-billion-a-year business will now begin its season on Christmas day. A 66 game season is the second shortest in the league's history, due to player strikes. Players were the party making the largest concessions, including a reduction of up to $300 million year in salaries. With reduction figures this large, one must question the legitimacy of beginning and current salaries paid to NBA stars, as well as all professional athletes.
The recent dealings seem to be a slight step in the right direction--likely an indirect response to the current outrage over amassing corporate greed. These player and team owner 'sacrifices' include shorter contracts, fewer and less extensive raises and higher taxation to better control and limit waste in the top-spending teams. December 25 is planned to still host the triple-header scheduled pre-strike: the Boston Celtics at the Knicks, followed by the Miami Heat at the Dallas Mavericks and the Chicago Bulls at the Los Angeles Lakers. A new line-up for the remainder of the season will be drafted in the time between now and then. As was done to accommodate the shortened 1999 season, teams will likely play a compressed schedule, and regular season games will be played through to the end of April.
Along with pay cuts and seasonal parameters, a myriad of other issues arise under the complete reconstruction of collective bargaining regulation--drug testing, the minimum age and the use of the Development League, and ratification by a simple majority of the 30 teams and a simple majority of the 430-plus players. In the meantime, two pending lawsuits must be thrown out and the players' union reconvened.
An area of key concern regarding all of these negotiations, however, is how truly collaborative they are at this level and point in time. From even a complete outsider's perspective, it seems as though the current decision points were more of a last-stitch shuffle to pacify the public than anything else. Player representatives appeared less than thrilled with the new developments at the press conference this morning, officials refused to answer any detailed inquiries, and the deal had not yet been shared with key committees. What baffles a majority of average class citizens is that so much struggle and bad feeling can be precipitated over a difference of 7% in player share of the NBA's profits when the pool of earnings is such an immensely massive sum. Profit margins may be down to approximately 5%, but the dollar amount still exceeds $183 million.
Because player greed is a fairly clear incentive to striking, it would seem a positive development if the changes specified will indeed come to fruition. The NBA's primary goals: reduced overall spending and promotion of a competitive league-wide balance, have more noble roots than the desire of rich teams to recruit, trade and tax consumers however they may please. If anyone questioned the bottom-line mentality or purely commercial nature of the NBA before the lock-out and negotiations, let us hope that these few do not still maintain the naive belief that there is more to the organization.
Okay, your turn! Tell me what you think, and we can really get the ball rolling...Have a fun-filled Saturday night :) I'm going bowling with some friends (flashback!) and then maybe out for a drink, good way to wrap up a Holiday break. Here's a Pinterest present that I'm granting to you, readers: Look for a hilarious/ inspiring/ just plain adorable clip in all of my posts leading up to Christmas!
Love to you all,
Carli
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