Well, that's basically what's happening to the NBA season right now. While the owners and players yell at each other about (among other things) which side should be able to buy more diamond-encrusted unicorn horns, the NBA season is slowly vanishing.
This week, NBA commissioner and Hair Club for Men member David Stern announced that the first two weeks of regular season games would be canceled. And with that proclamation (just a week after Dwayne Wade yelled at Stern in a less-than-constructive meeting), the Marty McFly photograph that is the 2011-2012 season is beginning to fade. This time around, though, you can't blame it on Biff and his insatiable appetite for rape. (But seriously, go watch that film when you have a chance. The guy is really into raping. It's terrifying.)
Despite being ferociously tweeting twitterers, owners and players don't seem to be paying attention to the media right now. If they were, they'd note that news isn't really talking about the NBA lockout as much as they are the mass movements of people taking to the streets to protest (and/or wave witty signs while getting some extra use out of their Halloween costumes) the culture of greed that's decimated the middle and lower classes in this country.
It's not that the players and owners don't give a damn about the fans, it's just that... um... OK, on second thought, they really don't care about the fans. Like, at all. And they certainly don't care about the ushers. Or the parking attendants. Or the bus drivers. Or the food vendors, cleaning crew, stadium technicians, television crews and all the other thousands and thousands of people who will be put out of work by this battle of millionaires vs. richer millionaires.
In smaller markets, like the one that supports our own Portland Trailblazers, teams will be hard pressed to survive a strike-shortened season. The existence of small market teams is a fickle one (see Seattle Supersonics, The) and something like a lockout (see 1998-1999 season) can decimate a team. Or, really, the entire league.
Remember the last time these a-holes did this? That time, they all but killed poor Marty, only to revive the last half of the season. But the damage was done. Attendance fell by more than 2 percent and NBA television ratings were all but flushed down the shitter. People were pissed. Now, people were already generally pissed at rich people before the lockout even began and if the NBA were to realize the incredibly small amount of crap the public gives about their salary negotiations, they might notice this.
Is this class warfare? I think so. If you belong to the class of people that likes basketball, you are under attack. You belong to the 99 percent. Well, it's probably closer to 77 percent or less. I don't really know, but 99 just sounds way better. I see no reason why basketball fans shouldn't get in on these Occupy things. And if for no other reason, do it for poor, poor disappearing Marty McFly.
By which I mean the basketball season.
