Unlabored Day

You know what was fun about this past NBA season, besides LeBron not winning a title?  During the 2010-2011 NBA campaign, all fans - casual and hard-core - raging gamblers and bar-room patrons - Jack Nicholson and Spike Lee - talked about the NBA.  Sure, despising the ground Miami's Big Three flamed around on was interesting, as well as Carmelo getting traded, Shaq getting crippled and Memphis getting noticed.  But fans of sports are fans of sports and these three aforementioned stories revolved around the play on the court.  The headlines that brought followers of basketball to their couches featured winning and losing.  Contrary to these fans are the fans of gossip, pessimism and Lamar Odom.  They don't have the attention to the games, play on the court or tactics geared toward winning.  

Which brings us to today, July 1st, the day the sports world must discuss collective bargaining, tv deals, rookie wage scale, guaranteed contracts and soft caps.  This is a day for gossip fans.  This is the day fans of statistics, performance and the theatre behind handling pressure are relegated to take a back the tabloids, the legal systems and The View.  We can't find our usually radio programming about pennant races and Federer losing a 2-0 lead in the Wimbeldon quarters. 

The obvious shift from Dirk's legacy to David Stern's lack of action could not be felt more than from the league's official website.  Do you notice anything that's missing from this page?  How about everything!  No teams, no tickets, no highlights from this past season - which was the best since 1998.  But take a look across the top.  Luckily you can still purchase OFFICIAL DALLAS MAVERICKS CHAMPIONSHIP GEAR!!!  So even while they can't charge you $120 for a ceiling level ticket, they'll find a way to take your money if you let them.

Try putting this across the homepage of League:

"Dear NBA fans,
We regret to inform you that we have failed to possess the forward thinking and vision to avoid this current lockout.  We appreciate all of the support that you have given us this entire stretch of great basketball, but we can no longer operate under the current economic system that has Joe Johnson making $119 million for city that draws 119 people to their home games.  We will not pretend things are going well nor speculate when this work stoppage will cease.  I personally will make an official announcement once basketball operations fully resume.  Your truly, David J. Stern"



If you like this kind of action, we apologize.

 If you're anything like me, you would dedicate roughly 14 seconds of your time to this particular work stoppage, maybe even another 14 seconds to the labor strife in the National Football League.  The NFL lockout is more unbearable for the fact that it gets so much coverage about absolutely nothing.  At least with compelling non-sports sports stories - like the OJ trial, Jordan's retirement or Michael Vick's favorite hobby gone wrong - there was an actual story to follow.   We could swallow a new chapter a day without knowing what the end might bring.

Below is a recap of the labor negotiations in the NFL for the last four months:

Chapter 1 - The NFL is locked-out; no official league business can take place
Chapter 2 - The players and the owners are fighting.
Chapter 3 - The players and the owners are meeting, but not fighting
Chapter 4 - (Repeat chapters 2 and 3) x 64

You see...14 seconds.

The best way I can protest both sports' stubborn agendas is to ignore them altogether.  That includes going down memory lane as to which the best team Clyde Drexler was on or who has the strongest front offices.  These petty and rather pathetic ploys to keep the fans interest in their professional organization insult the invested fans' collective intelligence.  Those debates are born from play on the court or field, which generate creative ideas and spark debate amongst family members, friends, colleagues and acquaintances.  Do you think arguing over who the top 10 running backs of the past season are going to make me want to miss the NFL more?  That's pretty lame (and even lamer there's a three-way tie for tenth by this clown.)

The last NBA work stoppage was 1998.  Do you know what I remember about that work stoppage?  That there was a work stoppage - that's it.  I don't know what day Billy Hunter and Stern met.  I know the Spurs won the title in the shortened season.  I don't know which Christmas day games were cancelled, but I remember the 8th-seeded Knicks beat the top-seeded Heat in the Eastern Conferences Playoffs.  I don't know what the labor peace ended, but I know Jordan wasn't in the league and the Bulls were garbage.

Games, statistics, performance - the reason we watch, invest and cheer.  Unless you love the law, Chris Mortensen or train wrecks, I can only hope you don't waste your time following two leagues that continue to waste our time.  Yes, there aren't as many teams, sports and subplots to follow in the summer months as the rat race October through April.  Don't give in.  Baseball is thriving - Sharapova is back - the PGA, MLS, hell, you can even watch NASCAR if you need sports that much.  But enjoy the sports you have and debate the players that make them great. 

And if that doesn't hold your interest, you can always take-in an episode of the The View.