Comments on: Players proposed barnstorming tour of China gains Kobe

By: goforthanddie

goforthanddie — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 18:15:47 +0000

duhgrate1: There’s more to life than jersey sales dingus.

By: denverdude7

denverdude7 — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 16:27:18 +0000

Bron-Bron is the biggest star in the NBA…just ask him.

By: denverdude7

denverdude7 — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 16:25:28 +0000

I’m all for the NBA stars playing in China if the lockout extends into the 2011-12 season. With any luck maybe they will stay there…permanently !!!

By: duhgrate1

duhgrate1 — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 05:34:24 +0000

Amazing how many pinheads think Yao’s bigger than Kobe in CHINA. Kobe has had the highest selling jersey in China for the past 4 years. Your boy Yao is not even in the Top 10. Like the article says, China (like every other country) loves winners, Yao is not that.

By: goforthanddie

goforthanddie — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 04:33:04 +0000

Amazing how many pinheads think Kobe’s bigger than Yao in CHINA.

By: goforthanddie

goforthanddie — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 01:50:35 +0000

“Kobe is the biggest star in China because — like his game — he worked at it.”

I’m willing to bet Yao Ming thinks differently.

By: htimsr40

htimsr40 — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 00:48:35 +0000

The players need an alternative to the NBA. We saw what happened when the ABA existed and the effect it had on NBA salaries. With real competition, not restricted free agency, salaries soared. Abdul-Jabbar made less in the NBA than the ABA signed Artis Gilmore for. Much less. Gilmore signed for ten years at $2.5M per year average in 1974. Kareem’s salary didn’t reach $1M until 1980.

And it isn’t just basketball. We saw the effects of a rival league on the NFL, first with the AFL and then with the USFL. Eventually the NFL takes over these leagues, but not before they are forced to adjust their own salaries to match the free market value of star players.

The NBAPA and NFLPA should be looking for alternative investors who might be interested in funding rival pro leagues, signing established stars to launch leagues while the incumbent leagues suffer through lockouts. The Player Associations themselves should consider player-owned leagues. Why give so much of the money away to third party owners whose interests are contrary to the players?