If you are one of those obsessed parents who likes to brag on what little Johnny and Jane are doing with their private instruction and intensive training programs and you are spending every red cent so they can play at the big private institutions, STOP what you are doing.
If your son is not an elite basketball player deemed that way by others who have no ulterior motive, then it should be about the NBA for them as Christmas has arrived. In case you have not heard, the NBA has struck a mega TV deal that will see everyone get paid. The new deal is with ESPN and Turner Sports for an estimated $24 BILLION dollars over 9 years.
To break it down even more, the current NBA salary cap is roughly $63 million for money a team can pay its players next season. Starting in 2016 if the cap formula stays the same, that salary cap number will jump to $91 million. Yes, there is gold in them there hills.
Hopefully, this seismic leap in money will quiet the uninformed and just plain stupid of the notion that no one watched the NBA and it would never work in St. Louis. The ratings annually prove that the NBA playoff outdraws any sport locally with the exception of the Cardinals, who have post-season success behind their name. Not even the beloved St. Louis Blues nor the NHL can raise their hand on this one.
As for your youngster, the average salary in the NBA this season will be north of $4 million. Let’s say he is not average but below, that salary is $507,000 as the minimum. While we all think our youngsters could be the next LeBron, Kevin Durrant or Kobe, the number are mind-boggling when it comes to salary.
In case you are wondering just how good are your kid’s chances of going from playing on his high school team to going to college and hopefully the NBA, the NCAA breaks it down and the numbers are staggering.
Men’s basketball: 1.2% of college players play professionally, 0.03% of high school players do high school players: 545,844
College players: 17,500
Draftees: 48
For those who are not ready for the NBA, they find themselves in the Developmental League or perhaps overseas where the money can be ok, depending on what country, and the expectations on a player producing are much higher.
As for the current stars in the league, now you know why LeBron took a short-termed deal. He knew the big payday was coming, as if he needs more loot. For the others who just took the money and ran, they will be stuck will just being a current-day millionaire. James was quick to point out it is now time to pay the players, and he is right as the ownership value of teams has gone through the roof, with two teams recently selling for more than a billion dollars.
There I go with that “B” word again. It seems like today in sports and TV deals that is where things start at … BILLION.
There is a challenge here for both players and owners, and it’s not killing the golden goose of providing a quality product, sound marketing approaches that allows fans to see the games and its players, and making sure that the player lives up to a quality standard on and off the court.
Major League Baseball would fit that bill, as they have enhanced their game somewhat and the fans are supporting it, especially since they have taken a more firm stance on the performance-enhancing drugs issue. The National Hockey League is making strides to get there as well.
Only the NFL has a firm grip around the golden goose and by all accounts continues to choke harder, to the point where there are little signs of life. The players and owners have to come together more in making sure their code of conduct for both sides is upheld.
As for little Johnny, my advice is be a good parent. The select teams and special instruction are nice, but perhaps an investment in a tutor to make sure they can read, write, add and subtract may be more beneficial for all in the long run.
Yes, your son has a real chance of being part of the 98.8% of players who never make it to the NBA and even less of a chance to make the LeBron, Kobe or Durrant money or any other soaring salary to be that the NBA will soon provide. Who knows, they may have a skill set that will someday put them in an ownership position because of the other successful business decisions that were made because he had a real education.
The NBA has a real challenge in front of them as they have to find a way to live up to the expectations of fans and the TV networks who have invested so heavily in them. How that will work will be interesting as they will certainly see its ups and downs as the talent pool is provided. I am sure that Commissioner Adam Silver is already hoping that the next LeBron is not far off in the making, as this league is built on star power on and off the court: see Dr. J , Magic, Bird, Michael, Kobe, etc. There will be others who will be charged with keeping the NBA in good shape. They now have 24 billion reasons to do that, and more.
