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Kevin Mirzaakbari
Ron Christiansen
ENG 2010
Researched Argument
Final Draft
Millionaires vs. Billionaires
When the news broke out after the 2010-11 NBA season that there is going to be a
lockout, I didn’t think much of it. I’ve been a huge NBA fan for the last 17 years, the Utah Jazz
in particular. The reason I didn’t get too worried about the lockout was because it also happened
right before the 1999-2000 season and got resolved so I assumed that would be the case this
time. When the first lockout happened over a decade ago, I was a pretty young kid at the age of
about 11. So I didn’t really understand what the situation was and what was causing this lockout.
My dad just simply told me that the owners were getting along with the players. Now, being
older and actually being able to understand what is really going on makes me sick and lose a lot
of respect for the NBA.
The main reason that had caused this lockout this past year was what they call BRI
(basketball related income) and what percentage the players get and what percentage the owners
get. For example, when a fan buys a players’ jersey, or the revenue generated from ticket sales
etc. the owners and players split the profit. This might not seem like a big deal or something to
lockout a season about but when you know that the total BRI for the entire 2010-11 season was
$3.817 billion (Smith, 2011). Although players and owners have split the BRI 57% to 43% in
favor of the players, I would argue that it’s not fair to the owners since they are the one putting
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their own money in the business and essentially taking all the risk financially. And this is what
started the entire lockout.
I believe that the owners had a right in holding a lockout. The players already get
guaranteed salaries, with the average last year being about $5.45 million each player. The owners
are the ones’ who invest their own
money on the team and if they
don’t perform well or don’t
generate enough revenue, they are
the ones’ who take the hit; not the
players. And the players still want
to get their multimillion dollar
salary AND a higher % of the
basketball related income? To me, that makes absolutely zero sense. I think the players are lucky
that they even get somewhat of the revenue, but to want over 50% is crazy. Most people say that
since the players are the “product” in the NBA, they should be getting the higher percentage but I
argue that without the owners who spent millions and billions of dollars on building the arenas
and the other costs that go along with it, there wouldn’t even be an NBA.
The way I see it is, most if not all of the owners of these teams got rich doing something
else. Whether it be owning several car dealerships, selling some kind of software for billions of
dollars or several huge investments. Then they just one day decided to purchase a sports team as
kind of a hobby or a way to make some more money. So what I’m trying to say is the owners
really don’t need the NBA to continue as much as the players do. They already have money and
probably could make more money doing something else. On the other hand, the players need the
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NBA to make the kind of money they have
been making. No other job in the world will
give them the financially situation they are
currently used to. And with only about 65% of
the players attending college for at least a year
and only about 15-20% having an actual
degree, I feel that it shows how much the
players really need the NBA.
This leads to an even bigger picture that many of us can maybe relate to. When it comes
to a business, who should be entitled to making more
money, the owner or the employee? True the employee
probably does most of the work for the business to
operate but the owner was the one who put in his own
money to start the business in the first place. He is the
one taking all of the risk so if it fails, the owner is
responsible for the loss; not the employee. As we can see from the chart, businesses are
dramatically getting harder and harder to survive. The number one disadvantage for business
owners as opposed to employees: paying more taxes (Christman, 2008). So for that reason alone,
I feel that the owners do in fact deserve to pay themselves more and as should the NBA owners.
I believe this lockout was caused by selfishness and greed by both the owners and the
players. I mean, it’s pretty much these billionaires (owners) arguing against these millionaires
(players) about a few million dollars. The people who were truly affected by this mess and
played the greatest price were the 400 arena employees who the NBA had to let go since the
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owners and players could not agree on something as stupid as BRI. These 400 people who lost
their jobs because of others’ greed were people who worked concession stand, security guards,
stats keepers etc. and they were nowhere close to making the same money as the owners and
players.
So in conclusion, I strongly believe that the players’ greed was the reason for this lockout
in the first place. However, I feel like it’s something that could have been resolved quickly and
therefore not putting these innocent 400 workers out of a job (Guinyard, 2011) while they
discuss who gets more rich. I have lost a lot of respect for these millionaires over the course of
this lockout; it really gives you a good idea of what kind of people most of them are. I am glad
the lockout was ended before the season was lost entirely and am happy for those workers that
were able to get back to their jobs and provide for their family.
Reference Page
1. Smith, Brian. NBA announces 2010-11 BRI figures. Sep 9, 2011. Retrieved from:
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/blogsjazznotes/52243938-62/player-2010-11-billion-bri.html.csp
2. Christman, Shannon. 23 Disadvantages of Being Self-Employed. Feb 22, 2008. Retrieved from:
http://www.savingadvice.com/articles/2008/02/22/102036_23-disadvantages-of-self-employment.html
3. Guinyard, Tony. NBA Lockout Means Lost Wages For Service Employees. Nov 15, 2011.Retrieved from:
http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/sports/Effect-of-NBA-Lockout-Goes-Beyond-Sports-133860543.html
4. Krishan, Daniel. NBA Lockout Has Major Impact On Local Economies. Nov 15, 2011. Retrieved from:
http://www.lakersnation.com/nba-lockout-has-major-impact-on-local-economies/2011/11/15/
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