Collegiate sports benefit from NBA lockout

It is the season of thanks and I know around the table this thanksgiving I will have at least one thing to be thankful for: no NBA season. Normally around this time, televisions are flooded with overhyped basketball players rallying down the court but this year there is a lockout and, of course, it is over money.

For those not tuned into the shenanigan, the NBA owners and its union of players are currently dealing with a lockout over who gets what percentage of basketball-related income (BRI). The player’s union was guaranteed 57 percent in the most recent collective bargaining agreement, but the owners refuse to concede to that amount countering down to 50 percent.

Many players don’t want to accept the offer and have even threatened to bring decertification into the mix, which would destroy the union. No one likes to take a salary cut, but then again no one wants to be missing work when the union can’t come to an agreement.

At 50 percent, the amount we are talking about is close to $2 billion dollars. Some speculation amongst analysts claim that the BRI could reach as much as $5.5 billion in the next 10 years. To some, that is worth holding out and fighting for a bigger percentage, yet others just want to get back to work. It is estimated that both the owners and players are missing out on about $340 million each month.

If they took the deal as it stands at the moment, the 50 percent cut of the BRI would get distributed amongst 400 or so players in the NBA. Sounds like a good paycheck to me. The owners have shown signs of annoyance with the players union though and have threatened to drop that percentage offer lower along with the introduction of hard salary caps if this lockout continues. I hope both sides don’t see eye to eye any time soon.

Now I am a fan of basketball, just not the commercial production that gets broadcasted over the airwaves. With NIC’s season getting underway, I can be found in the stands routing on our talented student athletes, and, in this year’s outings so far, I have seen a pattern. The stands seem to be more packed than normal.

I believe this lockout is a blessing for many colleges around the nation. When NBA fans can’t get their weekly dosage of 5-on-5 action, they know a trip down to the local community college or university will soothe that addiction of theirs.

The North Idaho College athletics department stands to gain from larger than normal ticket sales this year due to the greed of these professional athletes and team owners, and they definitely deserve it. The flight of the Cardinals at every home match is worth the meager $3 to $5 dollars. They deserve every fan they get, and it might possibly start a new trend in this nation.

Future BRI is a speculated number. That means people have to continue to be fans and cause the franchise to grow in order for the players to get more money in the long run. Over the Internet, there are posts from fans who are also fed up with this debacle. They want it to end so they can watch their favorite player get back to making dunks or 3-pointers.

If I were these fans, I would throw my hands up in disgust and watch real talent at the collegiate level. Get enough people to do the same, and the NBA will have brought its own destruction like the fall of the Roman Empire.