From the looks of things, the resumption of the 2019–20 campaign of the National Basketball Association has become a matter of when, not if. The pressure is certainly there, with the league and franchise owners bent on recovering part of revenue streams projected to reach an aggregate $10 billion before the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic hit. Even with competition compelled to be held behind closed doors in adherence to health and safety protocols and income from foot traffic — said to account for around 40% of the aggregate — thusly reduced to zero, proceeds from broadcast rights can at least be salvaged.
Even players are buoyed by economic reasons to push for the season to restart. Scuttling it altogether may well force the league to trigger force majeure provisions in the current collective bargaining agreement that will lop off a big chunk of their salaries. More importantly, though, they’re pushing for games to push through anew because, well, they’re wired for action. For most of their life, they’ve angled for the adrenaline rush; stay-at-home measures run counter to their nature. Parenthetically, the status quo subjects them to mental concerns as well.
Which is not to say the NBA has already made up its mind. The objective may be clear, but the means to reach it is far from assured. In fact, there are so many moving parts that the potential for analysis paralysis cannot be overemphasized. The final decision, particularly in how it is presented, remains up in the air. What will the format be? Where will the matches be held? How many teams will be involved? Can players choose not to suit up if they feel the risks aren’t worth the rewards? These and other queries will have to be addressed, one by one, and to the satisfaction of all and sundry, as a requisite for consensus-building.
The good news is that the dramatis personae understand the stakes, and will, therefore, not be rushed to judgment. As much as they want to institute a new normal, they’re bent on minimizing the dangers involved in so doing. The last thing they need is to overlook one item or another that could end up putting all their best-laid plans to waste. And so, in dotting all the Is and crossing all the Ts, they’re keen on anticipating, and prepping for, any and all contingencies. The hope is that they all enter a tunnel that is brightly lit, and, yes, stays lighted until they reach the end.
Throughout all the planning, full disclosure has been critical to progress. And, unlike, say, Major League Baseball, which seems to be mired in discord between the front office and the players union, the NBA has espoused full disclosure, leading to cooperation and constant communication among parties with vested, and otherwise-conflicting, interests. Little wonder, then, that fans are confident things will get done, and soon.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
