Lockouts

Listening to The Steve Czaban show during yesterday's commute, I was incredulous when an on-air personality (I cannot remember who) claimed to support owners 100% in all lockouts.

Absolutely ridiculous.

The rationale behind the decision was the great sum of money owners stood to lose when a season is not played, either partially, or in its entirety. He went on to claim owners take huge risks when purchasing teams, and an upside isn't always guaranteed.

Not to compare apples (NFL) and oranges (NBA), but owners brought on the NFL lockout. An owner can run an organization (Redskins) as a purely profit driven enterprise, to the detriment of the team, and still rake gobs of cash.

I have no sympathy for owners who are sitting on advance season ticket payments, collecting interest, and offering the paltry exchange of credit or future tickets if the season is cancelled. Obviously, season ticket holders bought into the scheme/plan, (I'm not deeming who is right/wrong) but owners stand to benefit and act in their best interests. Ownership can stay within a family for decades, but player careers are brief, and the possibility of not playing has a greater detrimental impact on an athlete, sacrificing part of his career, than an owner, who can weather the storm of a bad season or a poor economic climate, and, sooner or later, embrace profitability.