The news that the NBA is going lay off nine percent of its work force shouldn't be surprising. Many business, including this one, are going through cutbacks that are painful and difficult.
Times are tough
In the past, Enron Field lost its name when Enron folded. But that happened during the bubble, when if one company failed there were others waiting to step in. Now, it seems, everyone is suffering.
Take it a step further to the lifeblood of sports – television. Will companies be able to advertise as they have been for years? Auto companies are hurting badly, and their ad money may dry up. Or at least slow down.
If times are as tough as we are all told, if this really is a "crisis," it will spread to sports. It makes no sense to cry wolf, because sports won't go away. And it's hard to feel sorry for a team losing one or two sponsors when people are losing their jobs. But at some point the economics of the country will have an effect on the economics of sports. When the NBA lays off nearly nine percent of its employees – wouldn't you think a league like the NBA could afford to absorb losses through givebacks rather than costing people jobs? – it seems to be a signal.
The question is when the full impact hits the sport economy, and how strong the blow.
Meanwhile …
Rick Reilly, a gem of a writer, recently covered the problems John Lynch is having as he adjusts to retirement. Lynch, like Reilly, was excellent at his craft, and is a very good guy.
The story nearly makes you cry.
Lynch doesn't know what to do with himself during the day after he drops his kids off at school. He's so bored he's thinking of making trips to places like Augusta. He had to actually PAY a cell phone bill instead of having a sponsorship deal cover it for free. He no longer gets a NEW CAR every 3,000 miles, and Saks does not give him a $2,500 suit every week to do a TV show.
Talk about heart-rendering.
I'm not sure about you, but any of this stuff would be enough to make me regurgitate my Wheaties. NO FREE CAR????? How does a man make ends meet. Perhaps we should hold a "Canned Food Drive for John Lynch" event at the next Browns home game. Everyone who brings a can saves a dollar on the $8 beer.
This emotional situation with Lynch is real, no doubt. He feels what he feels. And he's always been a guy who's done a lot of work for charity and been very involved with the community where he played. He's a classy guy. But it just seems out of line with any real or ordinary thought process to feel for a guy who has made so much money he does not even have to work when our neighbors, our friends, our relatives are losing their jobs. Think about it – this guy worries about paying a cell phone bill for the first time in who knows how long while the guy around the corner saw his retirement money cut in half three years before he's about to retire.
Is it any wonder that sometimes the world of pro sports has its own orbit in the stratosphere?
The millionaire players flaunting their $$ have contributed to this economic mess, because Average Joe decides HE, too, wants the "good life" and instant-gratification…so he just mortgages/credits himself into debt. Then, for good measure, he declares bankruptcy or walks away from what he owes. THIS is the role-model that idiotic publicized contracts like A-Rod, Manny, C.C., etc. have conveyed upon our society. "If they can have it, why can't I?"
It's time that the American public stop paying $75-$150 for a basketball ticket, and pay their electric bill instead. The gravy train is about to derail, boys, and it's farrrrr beyond time, too.
yep, boo f'n hoo for john lynch. this article makes me ill.
I liked Reilly's stuff in Sports Illustrated, but what makes sportswriters delude themselves into thinking they can be TV stars? Or does the money kill their brain cells.
Guys like Lynch are why I don't understand why some people get uptight about dudes like Ramirez. They're entertainers. Some are spoiled. That's like spending big money for a movie ticket, and then get your underwear in a bunch because some Hollywood star said in People Magazine that he was pissed he didn't get a private jet while traveling to promote it. I mean, why should I or anybody care what some celebrity is complaining about, whether it's Manny Ramirez, John Lynch or Sly Stallone. Why, just because some sports fan is naive and stupid enough to believe "it's all about the fans?"
Funny that some people say, "I WON'T BUY A TICKET!" Sure, you will. Who are you kidding? You like sports, you like entertainment, you like sports entertainment. And if you don't buy a ticket, then you'll proudly be an accomplice by watching it on their corporate TV partner's television stations. But you'll simply turn a blind eye and will refuse to admit that contributing to the ratings is contributing to what you perceive to be a "problem." If the NFL didn't have multi-billion-dollar TV deals, then the owners wouldn't be paying the John Lynches of the world what they're making.
Did any of the above posters read the article? At no point does Lynch complain or whine about what he's not getting abymore. The writer added that stuff. There was no 'woe is me' feeling. Just simply stating facts. Lynch's only problem is he's not playing ball anymore. John Lynch is known as one of the classiest guys in the sport. I can't believe a guy like Pata would suggest anything different.(So you all know, I have 5 good friends in the sports media, either radio, espn.com, or working for Cleveland teams)
It's a shame that there is anyone trying to suggest Lynch is a spoiled brat.
I can't say I feel bad for Lynch, but he doesn't say anything about missing the money, free cars or cell phone use. He just says he misses the game.
I didn't mean he's whining … just helpless, in a non-helpless kind of way. And yeah, he was kind of spoiled. How else can you describe it? He was pampered and pandered for so long, he's forgotten who he is. Egos are tricky things. Nobody is around to cheer for him and pucker up for him anymore. I think that's what he really misses, not the game, per se. These guys have plenty of months off after the season is over. But sportswriters would still talk to him. People would still cheer for him. Sponsors would still buy him stuff. Heck, assuming he stays permanently retired, how many sportswriters will talk to him now? I mean, aside from Reilly. Probably a good reason to get into TV, at least he'll be able to stay close to the game, but also to feed his ego, once removed.
And precisely what makes Lynch "one of the classiest guys in the sport?" I'm not saying he's a bad guy, or anything, but precisely what makes a guy one of the classiest in the sport. Or are there so many thugs in the sport, that he wins by default. If the TV thing goes kerplunk, maybe he should get into politics.
I just want to boo the idea of Rick Reilly as a good sportswriter. The guy hasn't written a good article in at least 5 years, and the move to ESPN hasn't helped. In the world of modern day sportswriters having movie star egos, he was a trend-setter, but he has become a very mediocre writer.
Oh, and the NBA answered the other question, laying of 9% of it's domestic workforce yesterday. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3640507