Chapter 721: Chapter 493 Get Lost if You Can’t Play (Combined)_3 Chapter 721: Chapter 493 Get Lost if You Can’t Play (Combined)_3 Not long ago, the Seattle SuperSonics signed a nine-figure broadcast contract with the local television station.

It should be noted that this money does not have to be shared with other teams in the league. Moreover, many of the SuperSonics’ revenues do not participate in sharing.

Broadly speaking, the cake from which NBA teams receive revenue sharing mainly comes from television broadcast contracts, but contracts with local television stations are not included in this.

Seeing the SuperSonics squeezing by in a small broken venue like Key Arena barely making ends meet but still making more money than they can count, and now having completed the most iconic revenue indicator of a big city–signing a large broadcast contract with a local television station–small-market teams could never hope to receive such a return locally.

They were certainly envious.

Living frugally themselves, relying on league revenue sharing to get by, while teams like the SuperSonics and Lakers could support themselves even without league sharing.

Essentially, this was an issue caused by the commercial interests imbalance between big cities and small cities, but the small-market team owners couldn’t snatch food from the big city owners’ mouths, yet they could point their guns at the players.

They believed that as long as they could rebuild the wage cap according to their ideas, and carry out a fair redistribution of income included in the CBA agreement, things would get better.

Then, Yu Fei informed Bennett that he would represent the players’ union at the meeting tomorrow.

Bennett asked in surprise, “Are you holding a position in the union?”

“No, my role only has one aspect.” Yu Fei said, “To show the league and the owners that I stand with the players’ union.”

Bennett said self-deprecatingly, “What a coincidence, that’s my only role for tomorrow as well.”

The next day, afternoon
The official activities of the All-Star weekend began.

Today there are various entertainment matches and the rookie challenge.

The stars will also represent their brands in promotions all over Dallas.

However, Yu Fei didn’t go anywhere.

In the afternoon, he had lunch with several key members of the players’ union.

Aside from the president of the players’ union, Derek Fisher, there was also the executive director of the players’ union, Billy Hunter. Unlike Fisher, Hunter wasn’t a former NBA player; he had played in the NFL, retired and obtained a lawyer’s license, then joined the players’ union in the 90s.

Now, Hunter had become a pillar of the union, always at the forefront of every conflict with the capital side.

Yu Fei touched base with them, and then, in the afternoon, he went to the meeting location arranged by the league.

Although the negotiations hadn’t started yet, the atmosphere on-site was already pressured.

David Stern, Adam Silver, John Thorn… one after another, the league’s authoritative figures appeared, followed by the owners’ representatives.

The owner of the Seattle SuperSonics, Clay Bennett, New Orleans’ owner George Shinn, and… Michael Jordan, the owner of the Charlotte Bobcats.

When Jordan entered the room, his eye contact with Yu Fei dramatically increased the hostility in the air.

However, everyone was a person of status, and the primary reason for gathering today was for official business, so personal grudges would be set aside.

But since the two represented different stands, considering their personal grievances, it was hard to tell if the forthcoming heated exchanges were for their respective interests or to vent their emotions under the guise of business.

The opening was uneventful, as David Stern began by affirming the success of the past two seasons, with the Seattle SuperSonics’ fairy tale story being key to the NBA’s resurgence.

Clay Bennett’s face glowed with pride, as if he had come here today to be honored for his achievements.

“However, we must not only recognize the surface glory but also pay attention to the shadows that threaten the development of the League.”

With just one sentence, Stern made it clear why the owners had to make a scene.

“After reaching the 2005 labor agreement, the League has lost 400 million US dollars.”

In his past life, Yu Fei had no clear memory of the 2011 lockout, but now, he understood why it happened.

The 2000s in the NBA belonged to a decade of scandals. After Jordan retired, the League faced a lockout, lost a portion of its fan base, and then widespread controversy erupted over the dreadful officiating in the 2002 Western Conference Finals. This was followed by a string of player scandals, with penny guns aimed at wives, Iverson’s domestic violence, Kobe Eagle County… A few years earlier, the Donaghy scandal was practically the last nail in the coffin for that decade.

Such an abundance of negative news turned the NBA into an unattractive product, reflected in its TV broadcast contracts. Some older fans might feel that from 2000 to 2016, the players’ salaries did not skyrocket as regularly as they did in the ’80s and ’90s, but instead grew slowly over time. This impression was spot on because off-court issues constrained the NBA’s brand value. It was James’s “Decision,” the rise of Curry and the Golden State Warriors’ small-ball play, that ushered in a new era for the NBA, leading to a spike in revenues afterward.

Now, although the NBA had just signed a six-year, 75 billion-dollar mega-contract, the owners would not own up to the losses of the past five years.

The old labor agreement granted players 57% of the “basketball-related income,” which was seen as a major victory for the players’ union and complained about by many small-market teams. Today, that complaint has transformed into a letter co-signed by more than a dozen owners, demanding Stern change the situation.

Therefore, Stern opened up by stating the League’s 400 million-dollar loss over the past five years to set the stage for what was to come.

However, players’ union president Derek Fisher appeared indifferent, “What does that have to do with us? We agreed to the terms at the time, and both sides consented. We all knew it was a profitable agreement, and now the owners are losing money because their people mismanaged. You don’t hold those managers accountable but want to shift the blame for the losses onto us?”

“That’s simply not a fair revenue distribution ratio!”

Suddenly, Jordan spoke up.

There was no player Jordan now, only owner Jordan, who firmly stood on the side of the capital, saying with a businessperson’s profit-maximizing assertiveness, “You’re getting 57% of the basketball revenues, which means every team has to bear a 7% loss from dividends. Big cities have many business opportunities, but in Charlotte, ticket sales and dividends are our main sources of income. Even if we do everything right, there will still be fools who bring guns into the locker room, and when such fools get suspended for a year, we still have to carry their contracts. Is that fair? The old CBA agreement had no fairness at all! You get too much money, too much security, and we bear all the risks. Where in the world does anything work like that?”

“Did you forget something?”

Yu Fei had not intended to interrupt, but as Jordan was so invested, he couldn’t help but want to join in.

Jordan looked at him coldly.

“As far as I know, you agreed to let players take 57% of the profits because ticket revenues were not included.” Yu Fei said sarcastically, “The losses from dividends could be totally compensated by ticket sales. However, the last time we played in Charlotte, the venue wasn’t even filled. Can’t you look for the problem within yourselves? I’m one of the most popular players, but even I can’t fill your home court, which shows how much you’ve disappointed the fans since you entered the NBA.”

Jordan was furious, “You’re just a player, don’t comment on things you don’t understand!”

The atmosphere in the room began to heat up.

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This was war, and everyone could foresee that the starting point of this battle was between Yu Fei and Jordan.

That was the reason they both came to the scene.

“Right, I don’t understand.” Yu Fei replied with a calm smile, “Just like how you didn’t understand how an NBA team operates at first. Do you remember what you used to say to Abe Pollin?”

Jordan’s lips turned white.

Yu Fei said pointedly, “If you can’t play the game, just sell your team.”