NBA Lockout: What Happened to the Love of the Game?

“Show me the money!”

That’s the message professional athletes are screaming these days.

Mind you, it’s not just the athletes' fault; the owners have succumbed to the demands of the agents who are bidding for their clients.

The question stands for us fans. What happened to the love of the game?

The game has lost the true essence of what it’s all about.

Years ago, when you played as a kid, you just wanted to play ball. You had your role models in sports that you admired and wanted to be, "like Mike," but it was not about the money. It was about the talent and character of the athlete.

Now, you have parents pressuring and training their kids year-round at all costs, even a college education, to be a professional athlete, and why? For the money.

Twenty years ago, the average basketball salary was $575,000 a year. Now, the average is $5.2 million. That is a staggering 904% increase.

Michael Jordan, in most people’s eyes, is the best player in NBA history. In his glory days, he made an average of $3.5 million a year. Now, Kobe Bryant, his predecessor, is the highest paid player in the NBA at $24.8 million a year.

Much of the growth in income for sports and athletes has come from broadcasting rights. But, to put things in perspective, the average basketball player makes 127 times more than the national median salary in the United States, which is estimated at $42,000.

In the midst of the NBA lockout, it becomes quite clear; owners and players don’t care about the fans.

The truth is, the fans are the people that create the revenue, and without them, you would not have a product—plain and simple.

With an economy in disarray and unemployment rates higher than ever, fans still spend countless hours and money to watch their favorite team. For fans, it is about the love of the game.

So, Mr. Commissioner, owners and players, take a moment and reflect on the pastime of basketball and the National Basketball Association, and become conscious of the fact, it was the love for the game that created what the NBA is today. Let’s play ball.