I was originally going to write a column chronicling the halfway point in the NFL season and where each team stands today. It was going to be serious with a touch of humor, or so that was the theory when I was originally planning it in my head.
Then yesterday all hell broke loose with the Penn State sexual abuse story involving an ex-coach and what it meant for Joe Paterno. Then this morning I read how the lawyer for the NBA players union compared how the players were being treated in negotiations to plantation workers. Then I read an agent say he was going to steer his players away from certain teams (including the Cavaliers) because of the stance being taken by those respective teams' owners.
A part of me snapped.
I was already fed up with the NBA and its lockout. Sure, the NFL was locked out and I was irritated by that, but the NFL resolved its issues without losing any regular season games, or exhibition games really. The NBA has lost a month and it seems like it's getting worse.
Sure, I read at least once every other day that there are signs it's going to get done. Then the next day I see things completely broke down and flamed out. It's become increasingly frustrating to read about simply because there appears to be no end in sight and neither side seems to want to budge.
How did we get to this point?
In short, the owners made bad decisions for several years, handing out max-contracts to anyone and everyone they felt they needed to win an NBA championship. For the Cavaliers, it was the Larry Hughes signing, for other teams the player varies. In any case, the owners kept giving up huge chunks of money for players who weren't worth it and hey, what player would say no to that?
The owners made a bed they no longer wanted to sleep in and the players, well, they liked that arrangement. That and the ability to create super teams to try and win championships as demonstrated first by the Boston Celtics, then the Miami Heat. In other words, the players found a way to make the current system benefit them beyond what it was meant to do.
The theory was with the system the way it was, teams should've been able to keep their top free agents if they desired by being able to offer longer, more lucrative contracts. If a player left for whatever reason, it was reasoned that he really just wanted to win or he wanted the bigger spotlight. The system wasn't perfect, but for the most part teams could keep their stars. Once the loophole was exploited though, players took notice and whispers of other "super" teams started to float.
The owners said enough was enough, but they had created the mess and the players didn't want it to change.
Now we're stuck in a stalemate that goes beyond how much money each side gets and now things are getting testy.
First was Bryant Gumbel comparing NBA commissioner David Stern to a plantation owner. Then came the comments from Jeffrey Kessler about players being treated as if they were plantation workers. Later it was revealed that an unnamed player agent was telling anyone who would listen that he would steer his players away from "hardline" owners such as Dan Gilbert of the Cavs who want sweeping changes to the system, saying if the owners want his players, said owner is going to have to overpay for their services.
First off, plantation workers? If I'm a descendant of any slave that worked on a plantation, I'm offended by this simply because of what those people had to endure. They didn't make millions upon millions of dollars to get treated like crap, they were basically treated like crap and lucky to be alive. So throw that one out along with the plantation owner comment from Gumbel who stopped being relevant the moment he tried to do play-by-play for the NFL Network a few years back.
Then there's the agent. I already despise agents whose only motivation in this whole process is to continue to make sure they receive as much money as possible, which means they'd be against any of the changes that owners want to propose, so as a penalty, this agent is going to make sure his players avoid owners who are behind sweeping changes. Nice way to do business buddy. You're pissed because things might change and you might lose some money in the end, so this is how you respond? If that's how you are and a player is willing to keep you as an agent, then I personally don't want this player on the team I root for anyway and I'll be more than happy to boo him when he comes to play the Cavs.
In the end, changes do need to be made, but there are some things that shouldn't be changed. For one, players should be allowed to become free agents without limitations. I never liked the franchise tag in the NFL and I don't think it would help in the NBA. Second, one max contract per team. If a player wants to team up with his buddy, he can take less money to do it and show he's really about winning. Third, make it more difficult to do a sign and trade. If he wants to play eslewhere, he can go. Fourth, cap off the salaries and do what the NFL is doing and institute a minimum spending level, ensuring that teams have a chance to field a competitive team by spending money, but not too much.
Oh, and each side shut up. The economy sucks and much like with the NFL, no one wants to hear millionaires and billionaires complain about money. I don't care how you split the revenue. Just do it, get a deal signed, and get back on the court.
In the long run, the lockout is a minor news item compared to what's going on at Penn State. For those who don't know, it's come out that Jerry Sandusky, a former assistant coach under Joe Paterno, reportedly molested a large number of young boys on campus using his charity as a front to meet the boys he molested. I won't get into all the details since you can find them virtually all over the news, but it's a sad and shocking turn of events.
The thoughts I have on this are simple. Paterno reported the incident to his athletic director back in 2002, who then apparently decided it wasn't worth investigating further and it fell off the map until recently. Now people are outraged and rightly so. As the week has gone on, more and more have come forward saying Sandusky molested them, and the heat has increased on Penn State more and more as it appears that the AD and president of the university tried to keep it under wraps.
Paterno himself announced today that he is resigning after the season, the first to take the fall for this. While it's certainly true that he should've done more, followed up on what was said to him by a former undergraduate assistant, he also shouldn't be taking the brunt of the assault. The sad truth is everyone involved is guilty to some extent, some more than others. Sandusky himself is a sad excuse for a human being, using a charity foundation as a way to meet the young boys he was assaulting.
Words can't even describe how horrible this situation is really. I can sit here and tell you how the boys affected haven't been the same since, that anyone who has dealt with sexual abuse is prone to trust issues, but I'm just rehashing what others have said better than I could ever say.
In the end the act is tragic and hopefully Sandusky receives the punishment he deserves for doing what he did.
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