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| Tiger Woods, LeBron get ready for salary cuts |
| Scott Soshnick / Apr 05, 2009, 00:51 IST |
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Former National Basketball Association All-Star Alonzo Mourning was dressed impeccably for his appearance yesterday at a sports business conference hosted by IMG World, the entertainment and management firm that counts Tiger Woods and Roger Federer among its clients.
The dark suit worn by Mourning, or Zo as he’s known, might have been a Brioni. Or Zegna, perhaps.
After hearing Mourning speak, I went looking for the union label.
The man known for his defence went on the offensive, imploring today’s players to sacrifice their paychecks for the good of the game.
“We need to cut these large salaries,” he said. “We have to be prepared for reality based on the economy. The players just don’t know it yet.”
Huh? Sure looks like Mourning. Doesn’t sound like him, though.
Who was this guy spouting dire financial projections and imploring personal sacrifice from the folks the customers pay to see? This Mourning didn’t in any way resemble the Mourning I knew and chronicled a decade ago, when he served as a vice president for the union that represents NBA players.
Back then, NBA owners talked of tough times and the need to cut costs. Owners, first and foremost, mean salaries when they say that.
Well, owners and commissioners are sounding the doomsday alarm bell again.
BETTER BELIEVE
Unlike before, though, when the basketball players fought like heck, resulting in regular-season games being wiped out for the first time in league history, Mourning warns that players had better believe.
Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing and Mourning are represented by agent David Falk, who is telling the world that Commissioner David Stern’s league is headed for labour Armageddon unless the players lose their me-first mindset.
Unfortunately, the most influential active players, guys like the business savvy LeBron James, or union President Derek Fisher, weren’t here in Miami to hear Mourning voice support for The Man.
And this isn’t just about basketball players.
Tim Leiweke, the chief executive officer at AEG Worldwide, which owns sports teams, facilities like the Staples Center in Los Angeles and concert halls, eschews jargon when asked about the state of sports amid a recession.
NO FIGHTING
“Things are going to get worse,” he said. “We can’t continue to price tickets for 5 percent of the population. That’s what’s going to get us into trouble. This isn’t a fight. This is a partnership.”
Whether Leiweke admits it, there’s a tremendous amount of distrust between professional sports leagues and their unions.
The players had better understand that the recession not only is eating away at the balance sheets of teams, but the net worth of owners, too.
Some are in finance. Others in real estate. Their plight, this time, is real.
James was on “60 Minutes,” boasting of his business, not basketball, brain. It will be interesting to see whether James endorses Mourning’s views or digs in for a fight.
Mourning joked that most players are probably oblivious to the daily dose of front-page economic woe. Ask players for their thoughts on the G-20 and they’ll probably think it’s a new Gatorade flavour.
“They haven’t thought about it,” Mourning, who announced his retirement in January, said of the implications of a recession.
NOTHING ELSE MATTERS
Gary Bettman, the commissioner of the National Hockey League, was asked to name the one non-economic story that folks in the sports industry should follow in the next 12 months.
HE LAUGHED
Bettman said something about performance-enhancing drugs and competitive balance while sweeping his hand from side-to- side. In other words, nothing else matters.
You have to wonder if National Football League players take notice of the unsold tickets and suites at the new Yankee Stadium. Yes, if you haven’t heard, good seats are still available.
The NFL and its players union soon will start negotiations toward a new labour contract. Owners said the existing one isn’t working. Meantime, NBA players union Executive Director Billy Hunter says he’s willing to explore talks with management.
It won’t take long to discern whether the players are willing to accept the new world order. They can be contentious. Or they can cooperate. It’s in their nature to fight.
Zo was a fighter, too. But he recognises fighting now is counterproductive to what’s good for the long-term health of the game.
If the players don’t budge, don’t be surprised if there’s another work stoppage. Or two.
Then it will be sports fans mourning.
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