Rant of the Day (11/25/11): Who really suffers?

Yesterday as I waited to leave to go to my sister-in-law’s house to have dinner I saw this very small post about MJ helping out at annual turkey event as well as the blog by CLNS’s very own Nick Gelso. Then, after having eaten a good meal and listening to the chit chat while enjoying some dessert it hit me and I knew I had the “Rant of the Day” all set for today, which is simply this: as the owners and players argue who is really getting hurt! And the answer is pretty simple, is it not, it’s the common people. I am not sure how many of you thought about this as you gave thanks at the dinner table, but for a minute or two I did, wondering how the people that work around the world of pro basketball are spending their Thanksgiving not having gotten any money of late.

I find it shameful that people that people are arguing about splitting such a large pie when others do not have crumbs. And maybe that is too simplified, but in the end it’s pretty much the reality. And we all know that the die hard fans, like the ones that write and read this great site, will be right back to watching the games as soon as Commissioner David Stern says “we are ready to go again”. On the other hand, if you do go to a game this year, and you buy something to eat or drink, maybe a t-shirt or some other sort of gadget think about how those people spent their holiday yesterday and how they are scraping enough to get by as the most happiest (and expensive) time of the year comes along.

Yes the fans might feel cheated in all of this, but they have not lost money because of it, while many others, people that work in the arenas, for the teams and other things, are losing their paychecks with each day that the two sides can not figure out how to split billions. And add to all of this the fact that some of the bigger names want to play exhibition games around the world or even in the U.S., or play overseas for less, or as Nick pointed out in the above linked post talking from the other side of the ocean, but will not take a pay cut in the NBA. While all of this goes on the people that need their jobs suffer, and I am sorry, I can forgive the league for a lot of things, but not for this one. So there you have it folks, my “Rant of the Day” for November 25, 2011, it might not be what a lot of people think about when it comes to the National Basketball Association, and that too is wrong!