Postponement of NBA Barnstorming Adds More Embarrasement to the League

This weekend would have been the season opener for the 2011-2012 season, and yet, both parties remain unwilling to compromise.  On October 12, New York Knicks center Amare Stoudemire said the players were “very serious” about starting their own league.  While the initial idea had its obvious flaws (venues, funding, contracts, etc), at the very least it would have been interesting to see if the players could blow up the current system and do it their way. 

To show how serious their commitment is to starting a new league, the players quickly organized a worldwide barnstorming tour.

Reminiscent of the traveling baseball circuits of the 1920s, 30s and 40s, the players decided the first step would be to shop their “new and improved” product to a global audience.  MLB legends like Babe Ruth, Bob Feller and Satchel Paige (to name a few) brought their product to small towns and far away lands, so fans who would likely never be in attendance at a professional game were able not only to see the stars, but to experience what made their game great.

After a week of whispers of a worldwide tour, on October 26, 2011, the World All-Star Classic was born and San Juan, Puerto Rico was chosen to host the inaugural exhibition game of the six game tour that would span four continents. 

Or so we thought.

A few clicks on Ticketpop’s website (Puerto Rico’s version of Ticketmaster) and the tickets were yours.  An All-Star Game of epic proportions would be in your grasp.  However, it ended up being a hoopla (pardon the pun), just too good to be true.  

While their livelihood is being debated in boardroom meetings in New York, these guys weren’t going to participate in a world tour.  The day before the event was scheduled to commence the “Classic” was postponed indefinitely.

Numerous reasons were provided for the indefinite postponement of the tour, including players dropping out to attend other tours or never being involved with the “Classic” in the first place. 

Organizers said there would be a makeup date announced for the Puerto Rico game by November 3rd, while the rest of the tour, that includes London, Macau and Australia, would be pushed back to late November.

Not being able to keep their first commitment is extremely embarrassing for the players involved.  Stumbling and bumbling, the “Classic” will possibly not get off the ground.   London might not see Kevin Garnett and Macau may never experience Dwayne Wade in person.

The players managed to show the whole world their “product,” and needless to say, it has become a “tough sell.” 

If they couldn’t work with each other to make this tour happen, how can we expect the players to come to an amicable agreement with the owners?  Moreover, how can we expect them to manage their own league?