Photography of the Lockout

This photograph is of Derek Fisher, the president of the NBA Player's union and 15 year NBA veteran. One feature is the puzzled expression in Fisher's eyes, which are almost cross-eyed, reflecting the confusion and ultimate uncertainty behind the NBA Lockout. Another aspect of this picture is the visible wrinkle on Fisher's forehead. Despite only being 37, Fisher reveals a wrinkle, revealing the stress and tension that the players undergo on a daily basis. Finally, there is the contrast between the light in the right and the darkness in the left. The light represents the hope of the season and the fans being restored, and the darkness shows that the future still looks grim.

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The NBA Lockout "Locks Out" More Than Just the Players

With the economy suffering as it is, a new wave of jobs will be lost if the NBA lockout does not end soon. These jobs include ushers, ticket-vendors, and concessionaires that work in the arenas that once hosted sold out games with the ever-rising popularity. The lockout will hit harder than ever because the NBA has never been so popular, and with more seats originally being sold, more work opportunities for the desperate, and consequently, more people devastated by the lockout. However, the strongest effect of the lockout will be felt in the smaller markets, where fans will be completely weary from no NBA. Such cities as Oklahoma City, Memphis, and San Antonio will suffer immensely, and since those cities only house one Big Four sports franchise, fans will be even more dejected. The ultimate realization is that these players and owners are having a petty squabble, one that does nothing to them in a grand scale. Both owners and players are more than well off, so they should try to fix this as fast as possible for those who can't wait for a "fair" solution. The owners and players certainly have time to fix this issue, but the fans definitely don't.

Craven, Tracy. "HoopsHype.com NBA Blogs - Tracy Graven » Can Small-market Teams Survive a      Lockout?" HoopsHype - The NBA Basketball Web Site. Hoopshype, 4 July 2011. Web. 18 Sept. 2011. <http://blogs.hoopshype.com/blogs/graven/2011/07/04/can-small-market-teams-survive-a-lockout/>.

Tensions Rising in the NBA Lockout

Currently in its seventy-third day, the NBA Lockout is seeming permanent with every passing moment. Most talks between the two sides have been kept private, and it is unclear as to the specific details behind each meeting. Considering this, it is clear that it will take more active discussion and compromise for the lockout to accelerate its resolution. Having met in smaller groups, the players' union and the owners will all meet in a bigger group in the next four days. The two sides are attempting to temporarily set aside the disagreements and find easy concepts that will unanimously be included in the eventual labor deal. However, the apparent realization reached by both sides and encouraged by NBA commissioner  David Stern involves restarting the negotiating process and forgetting the intense disagreements and conflicts they have been having for the past 73 days. Although they have resolved petty issues, the major problems of salary and the NBA budget are not even close to a state of compromise or resolution, and time is running out for any deal to be reached.

Source:
Deveney, Sean. "Next Few Days Crucial for NBA's Immediate Future - NBA - Sporting News." Sporting News - Real Insight. Real Fans. Real Conversations. Sporting News, 11 Sept. 2011. Web. 11 Sept. 2011. <http://aol.sportingnews.com/nba/feed/2010-10/nba-labor/story/next-few-days-crucial-for-nbas-immediate-future>.