NBA Players Drop Ball With Lawsuit
Follow
By DERON SNYDER
NBA players seem to be operating under a few delusions.
Their league isn’t beloved like the NFL, which attracts hordes of devout fans who follow each season with religious zeal. NBA players don’t have a favorable image among many who otherwise might buy season tickets or luxury suites. And the guaranteed money that NBA players are rejecting in labor negotiations isn’t guaranteed to be recouped.
By choosing to change their union to a trade association and file an antitrust lawsuit against the owners — putting the 2011-12 season in severe jeopardy — NBA players illustrate their disconnect with reality. They insist they want a “fair deal” but say a 50-50 split of revenue doesn’t qualify. They’re squabbling over the difference between $5.4 million for the average player or $5 million.
In this economy, where so many ordinary folks have gone from making $54,000 to the unemployment line, homeless shelter and soup kitchen, no one wants to hear NBA players whine that they’re underpaid.
