Friday, November 18, 2011

NBA and MLB: A Tale of Two Labor Negotiations

Two of America's major professional sports league - National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball - are headed along two divergent routes of labor negotiations. The NBA is been on the lockout since July 1st, and the season, which already has been cut short by over 300 games, seems to be on even more jeopardizing route. The latest proposal of 50-50 revenue split between players and owners was rejected on Monday, and two antitrust lawsuits were filed on Tuesday. Meanwhile in baseball, given the progress of the negotiations, few even seemed to realize the expiration of the current contract in December. Recently, new five-year collective-bargaining agreement passed. Noteworthy changes include new restraints on draft spending, transition of the Houston Astros to the American League to establish two 15-team leagues as the franchise was purchased by Jim Crane, and addition of another wildcard playoff spot in each league.

Not everyone is happy over the deal. In Houston, some angry season-ticket holders expressed that they will no longer be renewing, as transition into the American League will alter the style of National League playing the team has been accustomed to. Several General Managers didn't like the limit of spending on drafting. Even the addition of the extra playoff spot doesn't even please everyone; some note that this will only favor the inclusion of strong AL East teams into the playoffs.

Despite these differences, "the players and owners at least understand that no issue is big enough to bring down the entire sport." Compromise is the key essential for both sides to prosper. Both the players and owners want to gain more in the deals, but the fundamental truth is that at the end of the day, only one side can gain at the expense of the other. Furthermore, without harmony, both sides lose, enormously. This Tuesday should've been the first paycheck day for NBA players. Instead, the average NBA player lost over $200,000 as a result of the stalemate. With over 300 and counting games canceled, those economically hurt aren't just the league owners and players. From bars to parking lots around the venues, the local economies have also suffered greatly.

The best approach is negotiation with the mindset that an ultimate solution between the two parties is imperative. When one or both sides begin to feel that losses are fine and allow strikes to unfold, the devastating effects begin to spread, affecting more than just the two sides. It comes back to their responsibility to soon realize that the current short-term losses will only continue to bleed, and to ultimately propose a compromise that restores America's pastime and economy.

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