Occupy the NBA

When the NFL threatened their lockout, they said it was the millionaires (players) VS the billionaires (owners).  The NBA is pretty much the same thing.  As far as I can tell (10 minutes on a google search), the owners want a salary cut of 800 million and to split the revenues with the players 50/50.  The players want to keep the current contract where they get 57% and 2.1 billion in benefits/salaries (I'm not sure if 2.1 billion includes the revenue percentage or not).  2.1 billion divided among 450 players (Each NBA team can have 12-15 players, and there are 30 teams, but let's say there are 15 players on every team which divides that 2.1 billion the most) is about 4.7 million each.  800 million divided by 450 is 1.7 million, so players would make 3 million each. Obviously the distribution is not equal, so some make more and some make less, but you get the idea.  Meanwhile, the 800 million cut would presumably go to the owners, and let's say each team has one owner, so that's 800/30 and that's 26.6 million dollars each ON TOP OF whatever they're being paid right now.  This is a lot of money, true, and it is right for the owners and players to have these sorts of discussions, and in theory it is alright for them to not play the season if they can't settle.  It's just like any labor/management dispute.

Except that the NBA creates a lot of cashflow and creates a fair (though not significant) amount of jobs just by existing.  TV ads are bought, and no matter your opinion on ads in general, this counts as an investment in the consumer sector and is good for the economy.  Also, bars may suffer as they cannot advertise "game nights" to get the crowds out - again, in this economy anything that gets consumers spending is a good thing.  Also, in each case, the money earned from the investments may be used to give current workers raises, or to hire new employees.

But most importantly are the jobs at the stadiums, and the restaurant/bars surrounding stadiums.  First, you have ushers and custodians and security and people at ticket booths.  Then you have the vendors, who are not employed by the stadium but buy rental space and then sell their products/memorabilia/food at the stadium, and they make far more money than they would at any other space they could rent.  Then you have police who try to earn overtime by working the detail shifts at the street intersections leading up to the stadium, as well as parking and crowd control.  These are lot of jobs that are simply gone, all because the players and owners are arguing over where $800 million go.  You know what?  Give it to the people I just listed above!

Not really.  That would be wealth distribution in its plainest form.  I agree with their right to disagree about money and know these guys have all earned their life styles and would like to keep making the money needed to support that lifestyle.  That's not selfish.  What bothers me is that these talks can't be held only in the off season.  They are worried so much about these millions of dollars, they are willing to throw so many other people who depend on the NBA under the bus.

So why is the post Occupy the NBA?  Because I feel this is a similar situation the protesters are arguing against.  It's fine to want to support your lifestyle and it's fine to want to be paid what you earn and it's fine to get a bonus for a job well done, but it's not OK to do any of those things at the expense of others.  Maybe you only go to 10 penthouse parties this year instead of 13.  Maybe you only have 6 hookers come to your cocaine extravaganza.  Maybe you keep flying first class but stop buying so many drinks on the plane.  While so many of us are struggling to pay rent and go see a movie once in a while (not to mention student loans!), it is utterly repugnant that you insist on living the highest of the high life.  This is why nobody likes trickle down economics works.  It can work, but it doesn't work when all the money stays at the top.

You don't have to give up your lifestyle, we understand you're used to it and it's unfair for us to order you to give away your money.  But, you know, can you tone it down a bit?  Just a smidgen?  Stop holding the rest of us hostage while you ooze with money.  A million here, a million there, what's the difference to you?  Wasn't there a news story that there aren't enough qualified workers for the jobs that are available?  1 million dollars will put 7 students through 4 years at Harvard.  And what about a more moderately priced school, say UMass Amherst?  11 students.  And trade schools / community colleges?  The number just goes up and up!  See, keeping the money on the top shelf hurts everyone.  Bring it down to our level and invest in some human capital.

There are 20,000 students at Harvard, including graduated and professional schools.  Let's pretend it has 20,000 undergrad students and pretend each class is a quarter of the total population.  That's 5000 seniors.  800 million dollars would pay for 5600 students FOR ALL FOUR YEARS.  So the money the NBA is arguing about is more than enough to put through Harvard's ENTIRE SENIOR CLASS.  And those graduates will save money in the long term by not needing to repay loans.  And then we'll have more qualified applicants for our open jobs,  and soon the economy will maybe stop being a "jobless recovery."

Alas, instead we're forced to watch reruns of network shows while the millionaires and billionaires haggle it out.