American McCarver

As designated "business guy" on the American McCarver team, I was asked by Mike to write about the basketball lockout. Quite frankly, I never follow basketball until the playoffs and even then, it seems like the winner is pre-ordained and I find it only semi-interesting (although +1 to the NBA for giving the Mavericks this year's victory). But I do like business, negotiations and conflict and there's a bunch of that going on in basketball (and football) right now. My take:

We have no idea what's going on and anyone who thinks we do is wrong. Professional sports is legalized thuggery where monopolies are either blessed or ignored. Teams are owned by rich folks who keep their financials opaque and leagues are just pass through devices for TV contracts and merchandise deals. Journalists who write about the business of sports?  The most out to lunch, they're the guys who can't write for the business pages or the sports pages so they get the business sports beat. Here's one argument for why the NBA lockout will settle quickly:

...[A]lmost half of the players in the NBA ask for advances on their paychecks during any given month, frequently because they spend a high percentage of their earnings, their cash is tied up in illiquid investments, and more than a handful are legally bound to support women they are not married to but have had children with.

Sorry Mike but I'm having a hard time caring about this issue. The more I read, the more I hope they figure it out quickly for the simple reason that I don't want to have to see more stories like this. Some things aren't worth looking behind the curtain -- and I don't believe we get to peek anyway.