Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
The NBA lockout has broken hearts from the locker room to the White House (yes, President Barack Obama is seriously bummed), but it is time to stop moping. This could be some good news for this flagging economy, and not just because it will finally give the NHL a chance to actually draw in ticket holders. Let's take a page out of the book of former NBA great Charles Barkley and make some lockout lemonade for all you sourpusses.
The TNT announcer doesn't think it's "cool" to take money from the network if he's not covering a game, so Barkley is thinking about taking any salary earned while the league is locked out and donating it to charity. On behalf of beleaguered charities getting hammered in this economy, let's hear it for the lockout!
In fact, it's with Barkley in mind that I took a little look around the rest of America for signs of NBA lockout loving.
How about all those broke college kids? The longer the NBA lockout runs, the more money college basketball teams are planning to grab for their schools. Navy's athletic program is showing its balls (you know, big, bouncy orange ones) to NBA fans with a cheap ticket promotion. If you bring your big league swag, you get into a men's or women's game for just $3. This could work at plenty of other schools ... maybe Barkley's alma mater? Auburn? Let's help those college kids!
And what of all that swag? Athletic stores should be suffering as they slash prices on jerseys and sneakers, right? Wrong-o. Market analysts expect prices to hold steady on basketball gear. And really what is a depressed Lakers fan to do during the lockout but go out and buy themselves a giant Kobe to cuddle with? Or they could actually buy a new pair of kicks and shoot some hoops themselves. They still make Barkley's Nikes, you know. Heck, let's use the lockout to boost the suffering economy AND finally burn a few calories, all in one fell swoop!
If Charles Barkley hadn't said something, I have to say, I wouldn't have even noticed all these possibilities. I'm all about the lockout now. How about you?
Are you depressed about the NBA lockout, or do you want to see it linger?
Image via Adam Pieniazek/Flickr
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
