By Brett Samuels

If you are a sports fan you are well aware that the NFL had a labor strike, which lasted for much of the summer. That is unless you live under a rock, or in a home with no TV, radio, Internet, or any other form of communication. However in the case of the National Football League, there was a happy ending. The players and owners reached an agreement and play resumed. Now every Sunday, families across the nation rejoice as tackles are made, passes are thrown, and touchdowns are scored.

However basketball fans have not had quite the same luck. The NBA has locked out it’s players, and after the last few deals were shot down by the player’s union, it would seem that there won’t be a settlement anytime soon.

As different as the two sports may seem, the NBA has a lot to lose, and a lot to learn from the way the NFL dealt with their labor crisis. The consensus is that the longer the lockout lasts, the more selfish players will appear. In this economic climate, almost 10% of Americans are without a job. A recent ESPN report stated that NBA players will each lose $220,000 on average with the cancellation of games through December 15. That means there is no patience for athletes who refuse to play because they’ll only be making $300,000 a year. The other big problem the NBA faces is a sharp decline in popularity among fans. At the end of last season’s finals, TV ratings were higher than ever, and fan interest had grown tremendously in major markets such as Chicago, Boston. Los Angeles, and New York. Unfortunately that success has all come crashing down all because of a bit of selfish nonsense.

The player’s union rejected an offer from owners that would give players 50.5% of league profits. Considering the prices on tickets, concessions, souvenirs, and other things, that’s an enormously large amount of cash they turned down.

So here’s the bottom line (yes you had to read this far to get to the bottom line.) The NBA needs to take a page out of the NFL’s playbook and realize that the game is not just for the players or just the owners. It’s for the fans. The NFL was hip to that and they settled on a new labor agreement. They knew it was wise to sacrifice a few dollars in the long run to salvage the sport that fans have proven is the most popular in the country. Now, in a time with little to no tolerance for selfish and greedy behavior, the NBA is losing both money and popularity by ignoring the most important commodity in any sport: the fans.