The Doldrums of Sports

The NBA season officially drew to a close on Sunday as the Dallas Mavericks captured their first title by besting the Miami Heat. Now, we are about to enter a total sporting void.

Typically during this time of year the NFL season is rounding into shape, rookies are being signed, mini-camps are beginning, and the pre-season is just on the horizon. Not so in the world of the lock out.

Typically during this time of year, the NBA gets ready for the draft and a crazy free agency period — remember last year's three weeks spent on LeBron James' decision? This year, with a lockout looming, all that looks to be put on hold.

Welcome to sports in the era of massive labor unrest. Sure, the Major League Baseball season is going. There will be games all summer, and the annual All-Star contest should be a July highlight. But let's be honest, in a sporting season that runs as long as baseball and features as many games as baseball, it's hard to get too excited in June and July.

Sports, at its best, is a creative escape from the world. It's an outlet for our passion, for our rooting interest, and provides an escape from the structure of our lives. This, in my opinion, is even more important in a place like America, where we don't seem to put a premium on vacations or periods of rest.

The NFL and NBA are two of the crown jewels in the sporting calendar, but it seems that the arguments of millionaires and billionaires are trumping the desires of the casual fans that have created the demand for such a product. The NFL has been locked out since March — with a brief respite for a draft in April — and there has been little or no actual news involving the games and players fans cherish. Now it seems the NBA remains poised to follow suit.

So this summer, more so than others in recent memory, is empty for sports fans. Let's hope the powers that be can settle this labor unrest quickly, lest we start to see actual seasons slip out of view.

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