NBA Workers Risk $250,000 Job

Zachary Shank Slam Dunks

Jacksonville, FL
By: Staff Writer J.E. Miller

JOB OPENING: Professional Basketball Player.  Must be 6'10" or above.  Willing to travel, sweat, and receive pay for play.  Starting Salary: $250,000 per year.

The question is how many people would risk a job like that in 2011?

Okay, let's suppose you are hired to work four hard months of the year.  You have to travel to over fifty cities by jet and limo bus to get to your job. Your dress code is a tank top, silk shorts, white socks, and high top tennis shoes.  Your job is to ensure that a one foot orange ball is inserted (as many times as possible) into a metal rim that stands twelve feet off the ground.  And best yet, you are paid a minimum of $250,000, but as high as $3 million every year.  However, the most your entire team of fifteen players can make in combined salaries is $58 million.

Undoubtedly, the United States economy is tanking and approximately 46 million people (1 in 6 Americans) are out of work.  The outlook is bleak.  With that information, is your reaction to risk your above-described job and salary and discuss striking?

That is precisely what the NBA and the NBA players are proposing.  As the day draws closer, we as fans and just typical onlookers are wondering:  who in their right mind would do such a thing.  Fans who are now out of work and struggling to determine how to support their families may actually be getting angry at the whole scenario.  And, rightly so!

It is one thing that the NBA may go out on strike (affecting players individually), but the effects throughout the country are devastating.  Giant arenas will not have the revenue to stay afloat, and television workers, arena workers, entire NBA staffs will be laid off or fired.  Merchandise that was ordered in the fall of 2010 to be sold in 2011-2012 will be warehoused, and investments will be lost.  The list of fallout and damage across the board will be tragic. Billions of dollars will be lost.  Even college basketball standouts are wondering what will happen to their futures.  The 2011 and 2012 college basketball graduates may be completely overlooked (forever) after the strike.  Most importantly, the fans may be completely turned off by the whole greed game of how can we make more money.  If you want to know the additional damage, just ask the Major League Baseball and the NFL what they think about it.

One more thing.  I do not believe that unions were established for the entertainment industry.  They were established for the migrant workers, shop workers and manufacturing workers.  These team owners own a franchise like McDonald's.  If they wish to share their wealth, so be it.

Well, this is the week which may determine what will happen to the 2011-2012 NBA season.  Regardless of the immediate outcome, it appears like a portion of the season will be lost.

If you ask me for my opinion, I suggest that everyone just go about their business (or game) for another couple years until the economy recovers, then argue about financial rewards.  This is the year of "a bird in the hand."  Do not risk what you definitely have for what you might or might not have.

Let's play ball!