NEW YORK — NBA owners will lose $1 million on average for every game canceled because of the lockout, and players will lose an estimated $350 million a month. The pain, though, might be more acute for thousands of people with no seat at the bargaining table.
Bars, restaurants and hotels will go quiet. Parking spots will be left empty. And the workers who help make basketball a big event in 29 cities will wonder how long they can get by.
The league announced Monday it was scrapping the first two weeks of the season — 100 games — because owners and players couldn’t agree on a new contract. Players and owners have each made some concessions but remain far apart on several issues. Each side has sought a 53 percent cut of revenue for itself, though a 50-50 split has been floated informally.
Players and fans quickly took to Twitter and talk shows, disgusted that the sides couldn’t work out an agreement and were willing to cause so much damage following such a successful season.
“All I can think about, and I’m not trying to sound like I’m on my soapbox here, but all I can think about are the thousands and thousands of arena, team and hospitality employees that are now going to be out of work,” said Andrew Feinstein, a Nuggets season-ticket holder who has a stake in several Denver-area bars. “I thought the owners and players had an obligation to work this thing out while continuing to play the game, given the dire economic circumstances that are taking place in our country right now.” The Associated Press
