By now everyone knows that the National Basketball Association lockout is over the 130 day mark and is threatening the possibility of having a season. Does anyone really care?

Signs point to a lack of public interest. Has anyone protested the NBA lockout or written letters to their Congress representatives? Has the NBA league commissioner done a city-by-city tour garnering fan support to get owners and players back to the negotiations table?

No, none of those things have taken place because the NBA, even after one of its highest rated NBA playoff series since the Michael Jordan era, does not enjoy the same kind fan commitment as the National Football League.

Unlike the NBA, NFL owners and players wield about the same amount of power and were able to negotiate a mutually advantageous deal for the next decade.

The NBA owners and players enjoy no such balance of power. The players wield much more power and seem bent on not giving up anything in negotiations with owners who claim that over half of the NBA teams are losing money.

The NBA in its heyday had legends like Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan. Since their exits, the league has struggled with creating an identity.

Can the NBA survive a suspended season? Yes, but to a league that is struggling just to grow its fan base, it does not need the hit of missing a full season.

I’m usually all about players making as much money as they can for the talents they possess, but NBA owners gave far too much power to the players.

The NBA has another two-months to reach a deal, but for a fan base that is NFL intoxicated, no one will notice until the Super Bowl.

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