The 2011-2012 NBA season appears to be in serious jeopardy. But a lost season could have a crippling effect on more than just the players and the owners.
For only the 2nd time in history, the NBA has canceled regular-season games due to a work stoppage, as Commissioner David Stern announced that the first 2 weeks of the season are officially dead. The NBA and National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) have been unable to strike a deal in time to save opening night, which was scheduled for November 1st. Also, several pre-season games have also been canceled, bringing the grand total to 100 games, with the risk of more cancellations to come.
“With every day that goes by, there will be further reductions on what’s left of the season,” NBA Commissioner David Stern said. “We remain very, very apart on all issues. We have a gulf that separates us.”
Until some sort of compromise is reached, regular-season games will continue to be canceled. This means that the players will be without a salary and owners will be without a steady source of income. But a continued lock-out will affect more than just the millionaire players and billionaire owners currently at the negotiating table.
Arena ushers, concession workers, parking attendants and other support workers employed at NBA arenas across the country will all be without a job and an income should the lock-out continue. Also, area businesses including parking garages, restaurants, souvenir shops, etc. will see a sharp decline in their profits without the expected thousands of NBA fans utilizing their services before and after games. The loss of 1 game, let alone all 82, could have a devastating impact on these workers and businesses who all depend on a pro basketball season.
Unlike players, who have hefty savings to fall back on as well as financial help plans from their union; and owners, who are billionaires several times over and have insurance policies to cover such work stoppages, those middle class workers have no unions or fall back plans. According to John Adams, who runs a restaurant across from the Quiken Loans Arena in Cleveland, he relies on a steady NBA crowd to keep the doors open. But without an NBA labor agreement soon, some of his employees may lose their jobs.
“I’ve got three single moms on my waitstaff and two single dads in the kitchen,’’ Adams said. “It’s painful when it’s out of my control, when I have to put the business first and say I can’t have 15 servers on staff because we don’t have the business.’’
