The NBA players triggered their so-called “nuclear option” and decertified their union. The NBA commissioner warned of his league’s imminent “nuclear winter.”
Funny thing about nuclear wars. You hardly ever hear somebody talking up their benefits.
Or their winners.
Just the casualties.
You’ve already seen plenty of those. The front-office employees, many of whom have taken pay cuts or lost their jobs outright, a trend that seems certain to continue. The game day workers, who have no idea when they’ll work their next game. The businesses near the arena that make their money off the fans. And, oh yeah, the fans.
They’re all innocent bystanders. You just hope the fallout shelters can sustain them. Because it looks like we’ve lost the 2011-12 season.
Meanwhile, the warring parties will keep doing their best to convince everyone it’s the other side’s fault. Moreover, they’ll each believe they’re dead right.
But when you’re toying with the doctrine of mutually assured destruction, blame doesn’t matter. Because the MAD endgame is always the same – that whole mutual destruction thing.
Both sides surely know this, and yet both sides are launching all missiles. And what will the aftermath bring? Ask Dr. Strangelove.
At least they’ll save money on the highlight video.
Because it’ll be a very short one.
As for a basketball game that’s actually being played…
Barefoot for a Cause
Here’s a shoe-in for a great idea.
Marquette women’s basketball coach Terri Mitchell will coach barefoot during Saturday’s 1 p.m. game against Georgia Tech at the Bradley Center. She’s doing it to raise awareness for Soles for Jesus, a charity that provides shoes to impoverished areas of Africa.
“I want to step up and help,” Mitchell says. So while she steps shoeless on the sidelines, the rest of the Bradley Center will host a shoe drive to benefit the charity.
Fans can donate new or gently used shoes, and those who do will get into the game for $5. The shoe drive runs throughout Marquette’s women’s hoops season, with collection boxes available at Marquette’s Al McGuire Center.
Georgia Tech coach MaChelle Joseph will also go barefoot at Saturday’s games. And assistants coaches on both teams will wear sneakers that will be donated to Soles for Jesus.
You can learn more about the Milwaukee-based charity at solesforjesus.com.
Feel free to follow me on Twitter, where I tweet as howiemag. And listen to me chat sports with Mitch Teich once a month on WUWM’s “Lake Effect.”
