As the Dallas Mavericks held up the NBA Finals trophy last

season, many fans wondered if LeBron James would win the

championship next year. Others wondered if the Lakers would be able

to get back to the Finals like they did the past three years.

As the Dallas Mavericks held up the NBA Finals trophy last season, many fans wondered if LeBron James would win the championship next year. Others wondered if the Lakers would be able to get back to the Finals like they did the past three years.

However, very few people could have predicted that there may very well not be a NBA season all together.

For those of you who are not up to date on the latest NBA news, the likelihood of the NBA season starting at any point over the coming months appears to be disappearing after talks between the players and owners ended this week without

a deal being made.

Last Thursday NBA deputy commissioner Adam Silver said, “Ultimately, we were unable to bridge the gap that separates the two parties. At this time, we have no further discussions scheduled with the union.”

The two sides are divided over two key issues – the division

of basketball-related income and the structure of the salary cap system.

From an outsider’s perspective, it appears that while the

players are willing to negotiate, the owners are refusing to

budge.

However, due to the previous lockout of the NFL, many fans do not see the significance in this recent lockout and feel

the players should shut up and play.

Many people see these athletes as million dollar investments

that should make their money and play the game they are being paid for. A frequent argument is “why complain about a job that pays you millions of dollars a year just to play a game?” Well ladies and gentlemen there are several answers to that question.

For starters, I fi nd it interesting that the players unions from the NBA and NFL have stood up to the owners that have so much control over the sport. For those of you who think the players are just complaining,think again.

NBA players normally do not make the millions upon millions

like we think. If they did, then explain why many athletes can go broke years following their careers.

In addition to that, many of the players in sports are actually ridiculously underpaid. For example, Jerry West

owns the Los Angeles Lakers. His yearly intake is just as

much, if not more, than all of his players combined. I understand how business and economics work.

However, there has got to be a point where greed plays a factor into the amazing amounts of money the owners see, and the very little the players see in return. The players make millions of dollars because the fans put millions of dollars into a sport to see them play; not to see the owners get crazy rich.

If you feel the players are wrong, then explain why the men risking their bodies and putting fans in the seats night in and night out should sit back and accept anything less than

what they are worth. In any profession, regardless of what that may be, you deserve to be paid exactly what you are worth. And if you are not, then you become a slave to your boss.

Thus, the NBA lockout is perhaps one of the best things the

players could ever fi ght for. All the players want is to be paid for the work they put in. The economy in America is

far too bad for the owners to be so greedy. The lockout will affect more than just the players and the owners.

If the NBA season is canceled,think about the millions upon millions of dollars that will be lost due to advertising.

In addition to that, think about the thousands of American men and women who work in the stadiums year round. Not only

will these men and women lose their jobs for a year, but they will also be forced to look for jobs in a market that is already scarce as is.

Also, look at cities like Cleveland, Ohio for example. This is a city that thrives during basketball season because many fans, during and after games, go to the local bars and businesses and spend much money.

However, if there is no basketball season all because the

owners fail to spread the wealth to the players, the local communities feel the impact of the lockout as well. Fans no longer fl ood the streets, and thus nobody makes money.

This lockout is bigger than wondering who will be named

next year’s MVP. The NBA lockout is a struggle for the

players to get exactly what they deserve.

And if negotiations are not met and the lockout continues for the entire season, this lockout just might have a lasting effect on a country that is already struggling to climb its ways out of a recession.

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• Trumaine McCaskill, Opinion Editor