Will the working relationship between the NBA and the NBPA be too contentious for the good of the game?

by thewiz06 on Nov 1, 2011 12:09 AM EDT

At some point, whether it's this week, next week, next month, or sometime next year, the NBA will be back in business and the players will play once again for the fans in the 28 markets (two teams in New York and two in LA) it serves. It is not surprising that many casual fans who only care about seeing LeBron James and the Miami Heat, and Dwight Howard and the LA Lakers (big markets mean more casual fans, right?) may lose interest in the league because of this lockout, but this post isn't about them. Even the hardcore NBA fans like us may be pretty repulsed by the lockout but this post is not about us either. This post is about the relationship between employers and employees.

The public's perception of David Stern is that he almost always works against the interests of the NBA fans and not working to improve the game of basketball, for a variety of reasons. Despite this perception, he always gets his way. Like us hardcore NBA fans, most players grew up idolizing previous stars in the Association, and likely also had the same perceptions about various teams, owners, and Commissioner Stern like we do. The players of today know that Stern and the other NBA team owners locked out the NBPA twice before, eventually opened up for business, and never got "everything" they wanted, and it's likely that the owners won't get everything they originally wanted this time either. Either way, this long lockout will likely create hard feelings between both the NBA and the NBPA in the short term at the very least, and it likely will remain a very fractured relationship for the foreseeable future.

I'm not a pro wrestling fanatic, but I know the WWE's business model shows us "good guy" wrestlers, "bad guy" wrestlers, and the boss, Mr. McMahon who is the most despicable boss out there in the vintage storylines. But really, if Vince McMahon were really that despicable at work (which he generally is not), why would the wrestlers want to work for him, much less why would there even be a WWE? I'm not saying Vince McMahon is a total saint and that David Stern is the devil, McMahon has had his issues as well in real life with past harassment claims, but either way, the Mr. McMahon persona is obviously a total exaggeration of reality and therefore a fake.

The NBA isn't written with storylines to the degree the WWE is (at least we'd like to think so), but David Stern is perceived as a real life "Mr. McMahon" in many ways by fans and the NBPA given the lockouts, and the dress code made to combat hip hop culture.

So, here's my question. Do you all think the NBA and NBPA relationship will be very fractured in the long term, if not permanently? What can David Stern and/or his successor even do to repair the image of the NBA commissioner position so it won't be viewed like a "Mr. McMahon" role in the future?

This represents the view of the user who wrote the FanPost, and not the entire Bullets Forever community. We're a place of many opinions, not just one.

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the answer to your question

But really, if Vince McMahon were really that despicable at work (which he generally is not), why would the wrestlers want to work for him, much less why would there even be a WWE?

1. WWE is a virtual monopoly.
2. Wrestlers are independent contractors and have been unable to unionize based on McMahons influence.

Otherwise, McMahon would get away with 5% of what he gets away with. Out of any occupation, the lack of long term health benefits is absolutely ridiculous.

by DavidDunn on Nov 1, 2011 4:26 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs

In the end both parries need eachother to make their many many millions

It’s a business deal and both parties should treat it as such. Plus, to whom is the public perception of the commissioner position even relevant? I think every commissioner in any sport is disliked by the fans to some extend at least it all comes down to this: the podium needs the artists and the artists need the podium.

"My logic fails all the time...especially when talking to females" Rook6980

by Dutch Hoopfan on Nov 1, 2011 6:21 PM EDT reply actions

I think there is bad blood from all CBAs past

and I think there will be in the next CBA. I think players inherit the tensions from older players. They hear stories and I think they only get worse, so there will be more hostility with each successive CBA. The NBA has an exclusive number of players compared to other sports so its more of a small town mentality. There are not as many players to talk about. There is more solidarity and that can breed more contention and contentious is what this CBA is right now. These players won’t forget how the owners came to suck what they could, or their reasons for doing it. I don’ t think the players want to hear about cuts in the next go round.

by hambonejackson on Nov 1, 2011 7:22 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs

I think you hit the nail on the head about the players union as a small town or like a fraternity.

In many ways, I think they also share many of the same visions as all the other players unions in other sports leagues with a union, in particular for the other three “big four” leagues (NFL, MLB, NHL). They want a fair salary now and in the future. They want to be able to maximize their earnings potential (NBA still for the 18 yo age limit, MLB and NHL have it too but have college rules as well), and they want relative freedom to choose where they want to work (Free agency).

We don’t really know all the nasty things that are said behind closed doors, but one generation of players tells the next about them which may fuel more the tension. I like that the older players are guiding the younger players to the intricacies of the sport, both on the game side and the business side, but if CBA negotiations continue to get more contentious, it may be gasp better for the NBA to operate without any players union. Unions and employers should work together and generally should like each other, but it seems that the NBA players and the NBA are in the “we’re married just for the kids” type scenario and those marriages don’t go well.

by thewiz06 on Nov 2, 2011 10:13 AM EDT up reply actions