The Dad and I enjoy going out to support our Oklahoma City Thunder every chance we get. Prior to Oklahoma stepping into the NBA game, we were staunch Mavericks fans. And still to this day, I have just a little bit of a crush on Mark Cuban. What? He’s cute; he’s classy and he’s a really funny guy!
Sadly, however, it looks like this season, we won’t be getting to an NBA game. It seems that the owners and players are in a lock about who should get what kind of raise.
And so close to the holidays. I guess some players will just have to forgo their new Hummer this year. Pitiful.
And when I say pitiful, I mean it. It’s pitiful that in a time of dire financial crisis for our country, these MILLIONAIRES are squabbling over how much additional millions they should be getting. For playing. A game.
In the meantime, the game workers – the ones who really WORK before, during, and after the game – are left in a lurch. These are people who deliver the beer and nachos and cotton candy. These are the people who mop the floors, stock the bathrooms, and fix the broken seats. These are the people who stand for hours taking tickets and providing security and laundering game towels.
For these people the lockout is not a matter of millions to them. It’s a matter of paying the electric bill. It’s a matter of providing food for their family. It’s a matter of new shoes for their kids to play in the youth basketball league in the hopes of one day emulating their heroes, who are now refusing to play because they want more than the millions of dollars they already have!
I’ll say it again: Pitiful.
It’s a sad day that our country is up in arms at the prospect of no NBA season this year. I do feel sorry for the NBA player and their owners, though. Their view of what’s important is so skewed that I think it’s safe to say they don’t even live in the same universe that we do. And by “we” I mean those of us who are cutting back on the fun things in order to take care of the necessities, like the rising cost of milk and eggs and vegetables. By “we” I mean those of use who could really use a new car, but are going to try and drive 50,000 more miles so as to keep our money free for things like the rising cost of electricity and the endless school supplies that we must supply because our schools are completely out of money.
By “we” I mean those of us who, even if there is a season, will not be attending an NBA game. I’m sure that my boycott of the games will not be felt, but I hope the message is clear: We, the fans, the workers, the average American, cannot afford to be selfish. That’s a luxury that’s reserved, apparently, for NBA players.
