The NBA Lockout: First Two Weeks of Season Cancelled

By James Sheldon on October 11th, 2011

Cancelled, folks. Not postponed.

Are you like me? Do you not care? Honestly, I’m a spoiled sports-brat these days. Never one to front run, I’ll pick a team and cheer for them when I don’t have a dog in the fight, but I don’t invest in a contest. My passion is laid aside for better, more important things. However, being an LSU Tigers, New Orleans Saints, St. Louis Cardinals die hard fan means that I could not care less about basketball. So, this NBA stuff. I really could not care less.

But then I’m reminded that my sports focus is quite selfish. I think about all of the people who work at the arenas, rely on NBA franchises to spur their product sales…and my passion wells. Rather deep. And my selfishness wanes, like that of a good little boy. The NBA season is about more than the really, really rich folks who own the teams, run the league and who represent that players union that possesses so many beloved athletes.

This lockout is a classic butting of heads, with very little being accomplished in the present talks that are supposed to lead to some sort of solution that moves the league forward. I suppose progress is the word both sides are looking for, but neither have found.

Watching Amar’e Stoudemire on ESPN First Take this morning, it didn’t seem like there would be any foreseeable change to the present status quo. That status quo is a defunct basketball league…the world’s largest, most profitable basketball league. This came on the heels of the announcement that the league has now cancelled the first two weeks of the regular season.

We can be honest and state that the season is too long as-is, but again, when you consider all those people who put food on the table because of the fact that there is an 82-game NBA season, it’s hard to make an argument based on personal interest and intrigue.

This begs the question: Will either side give in to the other? How long will the players be willing to hold-out for the revenue share that they desire over doing what they really love to do which is play basketball. Ultimately, the ball going through the basket is their meal ticket as well. And at what point do they scrap the whole season?

All things considered, I think they’ll get a deal done. I think it will be the players’ union that will make the concessions, and I believe they’ll be playing basketball at some point…in 2012.