The Lockout Continues: Does Anyone Miss The NBA?

I don't know how many of you are upset about the NBA lockout, but they decided yesterday to cancel the first two weeks of the season. It's because the players and owners aren't even close to terms:

That happened Monday when league executives and the NBPA failed to make progress — and perhaps took a step back — on reaching a new collective bargaining agreement. The sides are far apart on the split of basketball-related income (BRI) and the system in which that money would be distributed to players, plus issues such as contract length, luxury tax, player raises and the length of the next CBA.

But the bigger question remains whether anyone cares? I love sports, but there are clear problems with the game that has nothing to do with the way the money is distributed. This quibbling over dollars and cents means nothing to me unless the actual product is improved. As far as I know, I don't think anyone has done anything about it.

I will say this, I sympathize with the businesses that rely on the NBA to bring people to their establishments. That lost income is detrimental in an already lean time. It's not chump change:

The San Antonio area gets an estimated $95 million yearly boost from the Spurs' presence, said David Bojanic, a marketing professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio who teaches courses in destination marketing, sport management and event management. But it's difficult to say how the loss of part — or even all — of a season really would impact the community

There's going to be a trickle effect from this. There is less demand for goods and services, so there's going to be less demand for labor and businesses are going to have to make cuts.

That's not good, but is it all bad? It's one less people to go out, spend money on things like booze and other overpriced items. It's less money going to overpriced tickets when that money can go to things like food, new shoes for their kid, new clothes. Some businesses may suffer, but this money that's not being spent has to go somewhere right?