Lockout, Boycott, so What.

The "Basketball for Thought" is a commentary by Kris Gardner.

June 1998

Time is ticking by and July 1st is quickly approaching. All signs point to the owners locking out the players thereby delaying the start of the free agent signing period. As a result of the impending lockout, the players union has apparently decided to have the 12 members selected to represent the USA in this summer's World Championships in Greece boycott the games. Big deal and so what.

A lockout in the summer is mere semantics. The fans don't care: no games are affected. Boycotting the Worlds eases the worries of the owners of those 12 players who would participate because the risk of injury in Greece would be eliminated.

The players aren't gaining any leverage by a boycott. Sure, they are correct when Michael Jordan and others say the World Championships is another chance for the NBA to cash in on global marketing. However, the majority of fans who would watch their own country get bombed by the US team already has merchandise of the players in the players' NBA team apparel. In other words, the merchandising hit would be minimal. Besides, MJ cashed in on his patriotism in 1992 when he wore the American flag draped over his Team USA warm up jersey in order to hide the company name of one of Mr. Nike's competitors.

The labor problems come down to millionaires 100 times over (the owners) fighting with millionaires 10 times over (the players) over money. The owners want a hard salary cap with no salary exemptions similar to the NFL's salary cap and the players won't agree with that in any form or fashion. The owners need to ease up on this provision since many of them played major roles in the escalating players' salaries a few years ago. Re: Larry Johnson--$84M; Juwan Howard--$105M; Alonzo Mourning--$110M; Kevin Garnett--$126M; and so on. Whether I'm worth the money or not, if someone offered me one of those contract salaries, I'd sign in a heart beat! (Right, Jim McIlvaine?!)

In order to compete with the rising costs, the owners raise the prices of the tickets. Therefore, as long as people buy the tickets, the prices will continue to rise. Hell, real people can't afford to attend games now; consequently, corporations are buying the seats and filling the seats with suits.

The players have wanted to get rid of the salary cap for years and still maintain that hope. It's not going to happen. The players need to realize: the owners were rich when they entered the league and there aren't too many legal jobs where tall, athletic, and, in some cases, uneducated men can make millions of dollars.

Both sides are at fault. Both sides are greedy and both sides have been hypocritical.

The owners could impose a moratorium on contracts which wouldn't allow new contracts to be negotiated but the players could participate in Greece.

I propose David Sternand the reps for the owners along with the reps for the union hole themselves up in a hotel and not exit without a deal. I know both sides can afford the room rates.

Collusion, there's that word again.