An Open Letter to the NBA, the (ex) NBAPA, Billy Hunter, David Stern, Derek Fisher, et al

I consider myself a pretty everyday American, as well as a fairly typical NBA fan. I graduated college 2 years ago, right when things looked at their worst economically. I recently bought my first home, got my first pet, married my first (and only) wife, and work hard all day every day to make sure we can keep chasing that dream.

I grew up in Salt Lake City, so naturally, I am (was) a huge Jazz fan. There have been times in my life when I’ve felt like the Jazz were one of the few things to wake up for. From Stockton and Malone to Williams and Boozer (and everything in between), I’ve worked some long days with the knowledge that at least I would have a game to go home to. I always made my apartment/house/parents house available for games, and it always seemed to provide a nice escape. Even when the Jazz lost, I felt like it was nice to forget the misery of work, the monotony of “adult” life, and the pressures of everything and just kick it.

See, for those of us twentysomethings, life has changed pretty drastically pretty fast. America suddenly went from the land of opportunity to the land of very diminished opportunity. I didn’t expect to graduate during a huge recession. I didn’t expect my degree to be nearly obsolete when only 2 years ago it was a quickly-growing field. I didn’t expect to get a job where my bosses would happily pull the “you’re just lucky to have a job” card when denying raises and promotions, and I DEFINITELY didn’t expect finding another job—ANY other job—to be so bloody hard. But that’s where I am, and, judging from conversations with friends, coworkers, and worldwide news stories, I am not alone in this.

But alas, this is an NBA post, not a “woe is me” rant. (And for everyone going to post about how I should stop whining, do something more, start a business, kill myself, etc: Thanks for the advice. I totally wish I would have thought of those things over the last 2 years! You are all so smart that I’m amazed you’re commenting on a no-name blog rather than curing cancer and saving kittens!)

The point of me writing this is because I feel like these are the collective feelings of a huge NBA demographic. We’re frustrated with life. We’re struggling to get by. We used to love the escapism of the NBA, not just for the sport but because it provided an outlet to get together and feel camaraderie with friends, family, strangers, and the community as a whole. Those feelings are now gone, and I don’t know if they’re coming back.

Now, I’ve noticed many of my old NBA buddies avoiding the topic altogether. We’ve all screamed and whined about the lockout, but at this point, we’re over it. We have bigger issues to worry about. I don’t know how I’m going to pay off my hospital bill—I need to focus on that, not on billionaires versus millionaires playing a horrifying game of greed and bad PR on a national/international stage.

I know the point has been made, but it’s been crazy to hear very little, if anything, about the fans in this whole deal. I agree, most people outside those parties involved have probably chosen a side, but I can’t help but feel like if the fans were mentioned more by one side—either side—they would have gained a bit more sympathy.

Instead, it’s leaked letters and emails, ridiculous Twitter campaigns, Stern coming off more like a dictator than a commissioner, and a season on the brink.

So to every Billy Hunter, David Stern, Adam Silver, Derek Fisher, etc: We don’t understand. We’ve never made $500,000 minimum salary. We’ve never owned a professional sports team. We’ve never had money guaranteed to us whether we live up to it or not. We DON’T get it. We don’t relate. And honestly, when this is all over, I don’t know how we’re going to forget all this and go back to watching basketball.