RE: 'Sheed speaks up for the exploited masses

[Josh Rice <joshr@xxxxxxx>]

Kestas wrote:

>> The NBA is in fact a charade to some degree. We don't know the degree, at
>> least I don't. The league is not about basketball, it is about money.
>> The
>> real money is in endorsements, advertising, TV contracts, etc.

>You could be really cynical and make the same claim about anything. The
>point of TV programming is to make the viewer stick around for the
>commercials, which pay the bills and everyone's salaries. The point of
>most movies, books, products, services, etc. etc. is to make money. So?
>Does that mean that there's no other motivation for basketball players,
>writers, producers, filmakers, inventors other than making money? Do you
>  think all David Stern cares about is making more money? I don't think
>so.

Like I said, it's all about degrees. Look at what has happened - the two
greatest players of the century, Cousy and Russell, are selling their
memorabilia to pay the bills while clowns like Sheed and Bonzi are raking in
millions and laughing in the faces of anyone who loves the game. I don't
blame the clowns, I blame the system that rewards and encourages this
behavior.

Until the mid to late 80's the money wasn't big enough to twist the
motivation of people involved with the game. The bigger the pot, the more
likely it is to attract corruption. This is not a conspiracy theory, it is a
simple fact of life. If enough money is on the table, anything goes.

As for Stern, he is a money man. His job is to increase shareholder value,
just like a CEO. Who are the shareholders in this case? Owners and
advertisors are at the top of the list, fans at the bottom.

joshr