NBA Lockout: Both Sides Are Wrong

A NBA lockout is absurd to everyone in the country except the people involved. It's like my friend and I disputing how to split a 1,000 piece pizza, and taking so long to argue about it that it gets cold and no one has any (Great analogy, I know. But it does make sense). Allow me to explain.

Basically, what is holding everyone in the lockout back is how to split the league's ten billion dollars, or however much it really makes annually. The owners want a 50-50 split of the revenue, and the players want 52.5% of it. If they ever come to a decision, then they go to the salary cap issue... And if everything gets settled everyone can go back to choosing another diamond-studded anchor for their yachts.

Both the players and owners have a ridiculous excess of money, as you might just possibly be aware. The fact that they can't decide on how to split it up has every single working class American who has, or had an interest in the league shaking their head in disgust. Not just because of the loss of basketball (if you haven't tried it, college ball starts up real soon, and sure, the skill level isn't there, but they play a heck of a lot harder than NBA players. Tune in sometime), but because they are both so ridiculously greedy and have such a great amount of self-entitlement and, in the players case, didn't work nearly as hard in school as you did but just happen to have a natural ability that propels them to play professionally where their work is a game, that just so happens to have a salary equaling the total net worth of half the African countries in the world combined.

And you want to know stupidest thing about this whole lockout? Something so obvious staring both the players and owners in the face that they don't seem to notice? The longer this lockout goes on, the more money they lose. So they both want their 2.5% extra of the revenue, but if they miss a whole season bickering about it, they are just going to lose a ton of money in the long run anyway. Idiocy on the parts of all of them.

NBA players are even overpaid compared to the other major sports leagues. The average salary of an NBA player in 2010-11 was 5.8 million; in the NFL a season ago it was 1.9. And sure, you can say there's more NFL players, whatever, but NFL MVP candidate Arian Foster made $390,000 a year ago while NBA role player Rashard Lewis eats up 20-something million annually, or Darius Songaila, who saw the court for like a minute and a half this past season, made 4.5. There's countless other, better examples, but you get the point.

Part of the reason the players are so overpaid in the first place is because of the lousy, reckless spending on the owners part.

Brian Cardinal was never more than a big man who wasn't very good. Yet for the 2005 season, the Grizzlies decided to sign him to a six year, 34.6 million dollar deal. In the four years he played with Memphis, he averaged less than six points a game. An even more costly decision was the contract Rashard Lewis signed, that he even had to clarify himself, where he basically said, hey, talk to the owner about why I'm getting paid so much.

Whenever the NBA resumes, all of its fans will return, whether they say they will or won't now, and everything will be back to normal. But if things keep going the way they are going, there will be a ton of lost revenue that no deal can make up for (hence there being no pizza left, brilliant, I'm aware). What the guys in suits and players alike need to realize is that they are just digging their own graves right now, and would be much better off just taking a pay cut.

The owners have the upper hand; if there continues to be no progression and games until Christmas are canceled, they will just draw a hard line at a 50-50 split. The players will be forced to accept it, and will have lost out on all the money they could have made up until then. Meanwhile the fans at home just say suck it up.

Yet Another Questionable Tweet

A few days ago I wrote about Rashard Mendenhall's comments; yesterday it was Reggie Bush making a fool of himself. What the Saints running back said can be interpreted to speak volumes about his work ethic, or lack thereof.

On Monday, Bush shared his thoughts on the current lockout: "Everybody complaining about the lockout! Shoot I'm making the most of it! Vacation, rest, relaxing, appearances here and there! I'm good! Right about now we would be slaving in 100 degree heat, practicing twice a day, while putting our bodies at risk for nothing."

Basically, what Bush said is he would much rather just relax than do his job as an NFL player. Instead of working out constantly like the many of the dedicated players, he is just enjoying himself. He's been a no-show at the workouts organized by QB Drew Brees, that over 40 of his teammates have attended. This is possibly because he is frustrated the team drafted Mark Ingram to take his place. But it's all okay: he was just joking, he later clarified.

Maybe all that separates Bush from being an NFL starter is his work ethic, and dedication to the game. But until he starts acting more seriously about his job, Mark Ingram is going to take away any opportunity for Bush to break out faster than either of them can run a 40.

Lockout Returns

Roger Goodell claims he and the owners want football, but it sure doesn't seem like it. While the lockout was temporarily lifted, he was hesitant in resuming normal football operations. Last night, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted the NFL's request for a stay of Judge Susan Richard Nelson's ruling that had lifted the lockout.

The league's announcement came directly after the 3rd round of the draft had been completed, much to the dismay of everyone involved or interested in football except for the owners. Yesterday had been the first day players were allowed to return to team facilities.

Players did meet with coaches for the first time yesterday as well, and at least were able to receive their playbooks to look over in this second part of the lockout.

Next week the appeals court is expected to rule on a more permanent stay that would keep the lockout resumed throughout the appeal of the injunction ruling, which is about six to eight weeks.

The head attorney for the players, Jim Quinn, said this ruling of the stay was "totally expected,"which should be a sign of reassurance.

While it is still likely there will be a football season, uncertainty remains. The last four rounds of the draft will still take place today, but these players will not have an opportunity to meet or speak with their coaches for the first time, not even a congratulations.

Lockout Looming

The day has come at last. At 11:59 PM tonight, the NFL's collective bargaining agreement with the Players' Association expires, and if nothing is done in the next few hours, the league heads into a lockout. The possibility of not having football for a prolonged period of time is realistic.

Four outcomes are possible as a result of today's negotiations:

1) The most unrealistic outcome, but certainly the best: The Players' Union and the NFL come to an new collective bargaining agreement by 11:59 PM, ending all possibility of a lockout. Negotiations come to a conclusion and there will be football this coming season. This will probably not happen today, but there is a small chance.

2) Negotiations are extended. This means the mediated talks between the players and the owners continue for a set period of time, and whether or not there will be a lockout would still be unknown today. Expiration of the CBA is delayed.

3) The Players' Association decertifies. They would lose their right to collectively bargain, but could file individual antitrust lawsuits against the league, and hopefully prevent a work stoppage. Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Drew Brees have agreed to be lead plaintiffs if this happens.

4) The worst outcome possible: The two sides come to a stalemate. When football is played again would become uncertain, and negotiations would be postponed for an unknown period of time. Sundays would likely not include football this year.

There are four core issues that the owners and players are split on:

1) How to split the nine billion dollars in revenue the league brings in every season: The owners, this past season, received the first billion dollars for various needs. They are demanding for another billion dollars, therefore slashing the amount received by the players.

2) The rookie wage scale: The owners want smaller contracts initially given to rookies, thus not wasting money on busts. A prime example of an overpaid rookie is JaMarcus Russell, who was taken by the Raiders with the first overall selection in the 2007 draft.

3) The 18-game regular season: The owners want 18 regular season games in order to bring in more revenue. The players would rather sustain the current 16-game season, claiming the added two games adds to injury risk.

4) Retirement benefits: The owners want player benefits to end five years after a player retires. The players say that since many of them have sustained long-term injuries and conditions from their playing days, the benefits should continue for a longer period of time.

All of this aside, all of the players and fans want football. Most likely the owners do as well. This conflict has been deemed the "Millionaires vs. Billionaires" by fans, saying both sides are greedy and that they should agree to something, so there are games to watch on Sunday. Which just so happens to be the best situation for everyone.

All We Want is Football

Just heard the news NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will be cutting his salary to $1 if there is a lockout. So what? Normally he makes $10 million a year, but does that matter much to fans? Nope. No NFL fans are worried about the details of the strike; we all just want to watch our team on Sundays.

I, for one, do not feel any pity for the players or their health care issues. It's said how they only have an average seven year window to make all the money in their life. Uh, ever heard of a college degree? Rather than retiring and sitting at home and playing golf or whatever, they should actually make use of their free ride through college, and actually take classes, and graduate. No working class Americans want to hear football players whine every day, because they have limited time to make money because 1) That's not the case and 2) Everyone else has to work about 25 years to make not even as much money as the players do in seven. Many NFL players need a reality check once they stop playing (if they've ever even experienced reality, that is, other than playing something they love for money).

I don't feel for the owners, either. They're all just rich guys who do whatever it is owners do. Sit in a luxury box seats with cigars and expensive wine, and occasionally help with the management of a team. They're not worthy of anyone's sorrow; they're just out for even more money than they already have, for, I don't know, their newest collection of private jets, or to buy an island somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, if they can't already.

See, the average fan couldn't care less about the details of the dispute. We're not going to side with anyone, we just want to watch the game. Most people would rather all the statistics, with the exception of a possible 18-game season, to be kept private. Whether it's the owners complaining or the players, it makes no difference; rather, we just want all the guys in suits to come to a decision, and get on with the game. Because that's all it is, after all.