David Stern misplays the NBA lockout
Stern has “made classic negotiation mistakes” in speaking for league owners, not so much in the terms he’s presenting “but in the way he’s presenting them,” Shelley DuBois at Fortune.
Shelley DuBois
Fortune
“No one looks pretty” in the NBA lockout fight, said Shelley DuBois. The standoff between team owners and the players’ association amounts to a bunch of millionaires complaining about needing more money. But if there is one man who comes off looking particularly bad, it’s NBA Commissioner David Stern. He has “made classic negotiation mistakes” in speaking for league owners, not so much in the terms he’s presenting “but in the way he’s presenting them.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
When Stern said last week that the players’ “rhetoric is almost humorous” and that they appear “hell-bent on self-destruction,” he came across as condescending. Messages like that ratchet up emotions, leaving players and owners alike “embarrassed if they back down.” The brinkmanship won’t end simply because players just started missing paychecks; you’d be surprised at how many people prefer “financial suicide over public humiliation.” Fans may be forgiving after the bickering ends, but this lockout has been one of the uglier we’ve seen. And “despite all he has done for the league, that’s ultimately on the commissioner.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.