Where's the big-picture leadership here? What's the right number of franchises? Where should those franchises play? What's worse, losing three franchises or losing an entire season of basketball? What's really important here? I don't trust the players' side to make the right choices, because they are saddled with limited intellectual capital. (Sorry, it's true.) The owners' side can't say the same; they should be ashamed. Same for the agents. And collectively, they should all be mortified that a 16-hour negotiating session, this late in the game, was cause for any celebration or optimism. In my mind, it was more of a cry for help.
Meanwhile, the World Series starts tonight in St. Louis. Pro football and college football are in full swing. We're less than two weeks away from November sweeps. The holidays are looming. If the NBA owners and players think fans will sit around moping without basketball, they're sorely mistaken. Only the NFL has the luxury of saying, "If we disappeared, our fans would freak out until we came back." Sorry, NBA, we can always find other things to do in November and December. And eventually, every month after that. Fans adapt. Habits change. People like me say, "Screw it, I'll give hockey a real chance." Suddenly, you're not looking at the same landscape anymore. That's the danger of what the NBA inflected on itself, that's what made these past few months so indefensible, and that's why hearing on SportsCenter about last night's "marathon" negotiating session made me want to wave both middle fingers at my TV.
