David Stern and Jordan Farmer, two Jewish boys with good business heads on their shoulders.
In July 2011, 23 of the 30 N.B.A. owners claimed they lost money in the previous season and as a result they decided to declare a lockout, which is a fancy way of saying an owner’s strike. In June of 2011, the N.B.A. had their highest rated N.B.A. Finals since Michael Jordan’s appearance in the championship round in 1998. The timing of the lockout is a problem, as the league is currently on a ratings’ high and a lockout can ruin the goodwill it achieved last season. Back in 1984, the league had to deal with bigger problems than ruining goodwill. The N.B.A. was in serious financial debt, fights were very common during games and the league’s popularity was arguably the 4th most popular sport of the 4 most popular sports in America. As the newly crowned commissioner in 1984, David Stern took over and since then the game has been taken to a whole new level. Now it’s the 2nd most popular sport behind the juggernaut of the N.F.L. and the N.B.A.’s global appeal can’t be over stated. Today, Michael Jordan yamulkas are still sold in Israel. Stern did some questionable things as commissioner. He fined coaches if they spoke poorly of the referees and fined owners if they spoke harshly of the association. He inflicted strict suspensions on players regarding physical altercations. For example, if two players on the court were engaged in hand to hand combat and a player who sat on the bench merely walked onto the court, he was automatically suspended for a game. This controversial rule has showed itself in the post-season numerous times and arguably cost the Phoenix Suns a championship in 2007. Stern also implemented a dress code, ordering players to wear suits and ties before and after games. In addition to Stern’s dictator like ways, he has been accused of a few conspiracies. In 1985, a year after Stern took over, he created the N.B.A. lottery. The way the draft works in most sports is fairly simple, the team who finished last in the previous season gets the first pick of the upcoming draft. The N.B.A. is the only one of the four major sports to have a lottery. All the teams who do not make the playoffs are represented by a ping pong ball and thrown into a machine. The team’s ball that comes out first gets the first pick. In 1985, Stern was accused of rigging the lottery to give the New York Knicks (who had and have the biggest sports market in the U.S.A.) the top pick in the 1985 N.B.A. draft. Stern was also accused of convincing Michael Jordan to retire in 1993 to take care of his gambling problem, concerned his marquee player would embarrass the league. In 2011, Stern has been accused of another conspiracy; causing the 2011 N.B.A. lockout. For several years now, the commissioner has stated his desires to have N.B.A. teams overseas. For travel and other logistic reasons, owners have been reluctant to give into Stern’s demands. However, now they may have to acquiesce. Within days of the lockout’s inception, N.B.A. players have been in talks to play in Asia and Europe. Deron Williams, who was under contract to make 15 million dollars with the New Jersey Nets, agreed to take a “pay cut” to play in Turkey for 5 million dollars. Kobe Bryant has had talks of playing in Turkey, Italy and Hong Kong for “merely” 1 million dollars a month and a few days ago Jordan Farmer signed with Maccabi Tel-Aviv. Farmer, who has Israeli connections, with cousins who live in Israel as well as an Israeli step-farther, will be an instant success. The two-time champion with the Lakers will go down as one of the greatest players to play in Israel the second he puts on a uniform. Although
Farmer does not generally start in the N.B.A., he will be in an elite class of players in Israel. The lockout will be the best thing for Jordan, who has delved into other realms of entertainment, such as participating in the World Series of Poker. Farmer will be a star in Israel and will pick up fans who had never really heard of him before he got to the Middle East. He will be able to develop endorsements and sponsorships he would have never been able to make in the United States. The lockout will make relatively unknown players like Farmer international stars and once the lockout ends, owners will reconsider Stern’s idea of putting N.B.A. teams overseas. When it’s all said and done, 30 multi-millionaire owners will decide to cave in to the demands of a nice Jewish boy from Teaneck, New Jersey.
