NBA lockout: Hawks employees hoping to avoid cuts
Impending new Hawks owner Alex Meruelo won't have a game to watch for a while. (Johnny Crawford/AJC)
While NBA players launch their moronic “Let Us Play” campaign on Twitter, it’s safe to say they won’t have to worry about their next rent or mortgage payment for a while.
Maybe they should try selling peanuts at Philips Arena.
The NBA has canceled the first two weeks of the regular season. So far, there’s no massive hysteria among the fan base. No surprise.
But here’s something to think about: While owners and players engage in a high-level, thumb-twiddling war, a lot of regular people with regular jobs are about to lose a significant part of their income.
Front office employees of the Hawks have yet to hear from either impending new owner Alex Meruelo or impending lame duck majority owners from the Atlanta Spirit about whether there will be a payroll reduction — be it in the form of layoffs, furloughs or salary cuts. But at the very least, about 300-plus game-day employees — concessionaires, ushers, ticket-takers, stat crew members, security, etc. — are out of jobs. Restaurants at CNN Center and around Philips Arena already took a hit when the Thrashers were sold and moved to Winnipeg.
This lockout will last as long as it takes for players to cave. The owners created this mess by giving out stupid contracts. But the economics of this league can’t support the current CBA and the players need to realize that. Until then, regular people with regular jobs will take the hit.
When the NFL locked out out the players during collective bargaining talks), Falcons owner Arthur Blank instituted mandatory two-week furloughs (although he reimbursed workers after a new CBA was reached).
The Hawks were scheduled to play their first exhibition Monday night at Philips against the Detroit Pistons. The last time there was a NBA work stoppage in 1998-99, the league played a 50-game season, which began Feb. 5.
To the credit of Hawks’ ownership at the time (Turner/Time Warner) and then team president Stan Kasten, the Hawks did not have any front office layoffs or salary cuts during that lockout. There are no such guarantees this time.
By Jeff Schultz
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64 comments Add your comment
MitchC
October 11th, 2011
7:34 pm
Jeff, while I dont follow the NBA the way I do MLB or the Braves, this liockout makes me angry, for the reaosns you mentioned. The millionaire ballplayers, etc, can survive without their paychecks. My concern, as you mentioned, are the average people who suffer in such a situation.
I dont recall if you ever posted it, but you know I have to ask: How long do you think the lockout will last? Do you think they will just play a shortened season like in 1999, or do you think the whole year will be wiped out? I hate to say it, but I think the whole year might be lost.
Ha
October 11th, 2011
8:21 pm
Let the lock out continue. The ASG pushes tickets in a lock out just as they continued to sell Thrasher season tickets while final papers were being drawn up. According to our beloved Mayor Atlanta will weather the loss of the Thrashers just fine. Tell that to businesses around CNN center. Tell that to arena employees. as long as ASG owns a single percent of Philips revenue stream I will not step foot in arena. Even as my alma mater plays GT there in ACC basketball. New owner needs to buy ASG out 100% but he either has inability or ASG won’t sell 100%. Either scenario should frighten Hawks fans and league.
NumbaOneCollegeFan
October 11th, 2011
8:48 pm
I was an Atlanta Hawks fan in the 80’s and 90’s when the NBA was a superior product and the players were actually complete for the most part. I am afraid that today’s NBA teams are populated by Ignorant, Uneducated and Selfish no talent THUGS!. I dont attend games, or watch NBA games on television I simply refuse to support a bunch of Uneducated and Selfish no talent THUGS!. in any way form or manner. As far as I am concerned, fold the league, void all contracts and start with a clean slate. Last time I went to a Hawks game the place smelled and sounded like the monkey pavillion at the Atlanta Zoo.
bail out!
October 11th, 2011
9:11 pm
the city of atlanta should bail out the hawks and pay all these salaries for workers during the lockout by the greedy owners! just jack up sales taxes for a year to cover all the millions needed!!!
good riddance!
October 11th, 2011
9:13 pm
all that thug security and police that work downtown for the games and at the arena—good riddance! I hope you lose your jobs for good. Then find someone else to order around with your little uniforms and badges!!!! hit the road!!!!
please read this ATL sports fans
October 11th, 2011
9:32 pm
This sale hasn’t even been approved by the NBA yet and it can be a lengthy process even when there isn’t a lockout. So why did they jump the gun and announce it back in June? Because they wanted to quiet as much of the uproar about the Thrashers as they could.
Hit A Single
October 11th, 2011
10:12 pm
I heard the tattoo parlors are the ones taking the cuts.
Hit A Single
October 11th, 2011
10:14 pm
Let just have a lottery and pick the teams for the playoffs because the regular season doesn’t mean anything anyway. Who cares if there is no regular season?
Paddy
October 12th, 2011
6:06 am
good riddance…….hope you never need a policeman or security officer. If you do, I hope they take their uniforms and “little” badges and go the other way. You will get what you deserve.
J
October 12th, 2011
8:23 am
ok, i get calling the players uneducated b/c most of them are and i understand they are not bright with their money but seriously, STOP with this THUG name calling. I’m sick of the racist on here and i’m white. There’s no excuse for it! If it needs be, i’ll look at crime statistics compared w/ NFL/MLB and show you just how wrong you really are. I’m sure most that are doing the name calling almost forget that UGA players have caused more crimes in the past year than the Hawks players have in the past 15 years. Calling NBA players thugs b/c they are black is moronic, especially when you don’t attend games and don’t even know how much they give back to the community. Makes me sick … if you don’t attend games, don’t bother venting b/c your vents are factless.
J
October 12th, 2011
8:29 am
And you Thrashers fans, i’m embarrassed to even say i attended games with you. I’m just as sad as you are, but taking your gripes out on the NBA is not a way to pursue the pain. How about do what i’m doing and going to an NHL game in Nashville? Seriously, some of you knuckleheads complain and yet, i can almost bet that you probably didn’t attend a Thrashers game the past two years you were here b/c you were fed up with the owners. So, isn’t it partially your fault for saying you’re a real fan but then not attending the games? Those guys deserved support … it’s not easy to play in front of a partially filled arena night in and out. But yet, you still bitch and moan … when you point a finger, four fingers point right back at you. Take a hike! You’re philosophy of “i’m not going to attend any events at Philips now” is now doing even more harm to the employees who work there. Seriously, shut up and get off the blogs. Why don’t you write a letter or something?
J
October 12th, 2011
11:47 am
It’s an oxymoron to me for people to also come on here and say they are fans of college basketball but then bash the NBA league and say it’s full of no-talent thugs. Hello, best players in college hoops go to the pros, most of those players are the ones you rooted for in college. But now that they aren’t in college and playing for the NBA, they are considered no-talent thugs and you don’t care to cheer them on? Think of it this way, the schools make ALL THE MONEY off these players in college while these players don’t make a dime (unless they have a dirty agent). They get their money back when they play for the NBA. I don’t see what’s wrong with that. You’re only looking at one side of the equation. Seriously pisses me off. Walking contradictions is what we’ve got …
booking agent
October 12th, 2011
4:41 pm
arena announces 30 day run of sock puppet troupe to fill nba game gap.
Blind faith
October 13th, 2011
4:43 pm
Ah J drinking from tha ASG Koolaid. Had season tickets for several season for thrashers. Trooped downtown to watch a team with bottom of the league payroll while hawks fans went to playoffs with 7th highest payroll in league. Boycotts of Philips are simple. Not a hypocrite willing to put money in ASG pocket. Enjoy partial new owner financed by ASG who will still be involved. In the meantime Philips sits empty waiting for the real circus after the clowns of ASG. By the way any observer of Philips will notice it is falling into disrepair. In the meantime use your hanky to wipe Gearons crocodile tears. Atlanta is counting on short term memory and naiveté in its fans going forward