What about us?
NBA owners, players hash it out: Now here's what we want
Posted: Thursday January 07, 1999 12:54 AM
Great. You guys have kissed and made up.
Wonderful. We're so happy for you.
But you want us back in your arenas? You want us tuning our TVs into
what's left of a ruined NBA season?
Well, you better listen up, and you better listen up good. Because we're
hot, and we're not coming back unless you guys shape up. These are
our demands:
Lower your ticket prices : Look, you guys have made enough money.
You can afford to bite the bullet on some tickets, if for no other reason
than to serve as a simple "We want you back" gesture.
No more talk about the lockout : We don't care who won, who lost
or who's laughing all the way to the bank. It's disgusting. So, as part of
the agreement, make sure nobody -- no player, no owner and definitely no
agent -- talks about who was the "big winner" in this black eye on the
sport.
Get Michael Jordan
back for an encore : If there's one thing that can help sew up the rift
opened up by so much greed, it's another go-round with the best player ever
to play the game. Jordan saved the sport once. You guys need him more than
ever, now. Get him back.
Start getting tough on your players : There are simply too many
bad guys in this sport. There's nothing worse for a fan than seeing a bad
guy making millions. Crack down on the undesirable element, with some real
penalties for those who do really bad stuff.
Tone it down in the arenas : You ever try to talk to your buddy
during an NBA timeout? Or your date? Can't be done. With the blaring music
and the incessant in-arena commercials, the basketball gets lost. Remember,
the best thing the NBA has going for it is the game itself.
Revamp the timeout rules : There are just too many of them,
especially at the end of a game. Yeah, we know all those commercials make
you money. Well, they kill the flow of the game and often ruin the
suspense. Nix 'em.
Cut back on the playoffs : Too many teams, and way too long. Do we
really want to see another first-round mismatch between the Chicago Bulls and Orlando Magic? Less is
more, folks.
Make the players and coaches more available to the public : How
about, a few hours before the start of every game, making it mandatory for
players and coaches to sign autographs for the fans? Or, better yet, making
them appear outside the arena, for those who can't afford to get in. A
little contact with the public might go a long way toward salving the
wounds.
| 
