While the NBA and USA Basketball "have decided to
prevent" the World Championships from being shown on U.S. TV
"because NBA players will not be participating," the NBA is
"willing to consider giving" USAB money to "compensate for
the lost revenue," according to Athelia Knight of the
WASHINGTON POST. Turner Sports and NBC Sports were
scheduled to televise the games, but NBA Deputy
Commissioner/USAB President Russ Granik said the decision
not to show the games was made because sponsors and the
networks bought the rights "based on the assumption that top
NBA players were playing." The U.S. rights to the event
were sold by FIBA to NBA Properties, which also was serving
as USAB's "representative in the transaction." NBAP then
sold the TV rights to NBC and Turner, "but in an unusual
arrangement, maintained control of the advertising time
during the networks' broadcasts -- time it intended to sell
at least primarily" to USAB's corporate sponsors, with USAB
"sharing the rights and ad revenues." Granik "declined to
discuss the amount of money involved in any of the
transactions related to the world championships." Knight
writes that with the NBA players not participating in the
games, USAB "is still facing a significant revenue
shortfall," with the loss of advertising, TV rights and
merchandising dollars. As a result, NBA Senior VP
/Communications Brian McIntyre said that the league would
consider compensating USAB: "We will consider anything that
is reasonable." FIBA spokesperson Florian Wanninger said,
"Obviously, we are not happy" with the decision not to air
the games in the U.S, but added it is "a complete internal
matter of the NBA" (WASHINGTON POST, 7/21). Granik said
USAB's loss in marketing revenue is "going to be a killer.
The revenue just isn't there" (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 7/21).
THE COOL RULER? USA TODAY reports that arbitrator John
Feerick ruled yesterday that "he has jurisdiction to
determine if players with guaranteed contracts should be
paid during the owner-imposed lockout." Feerick will hear
from both sides on July 30 "to determine if the facts
warrant his hearing the case." NBPA Exec Dir Billy Hunter
and NBA Commissioner David Stern will meet today in NYC,
their first meeting in almost a month (USA TODAY, 7/22).
A TIME TO GILL: Nets F Kendall Gill said "the league is
counting on the players to cave in. I think they're
counting on guys who are living from paycheck to paycheck.
Honestly, how many guys are like that?" (N.Y. POST, 7/22).
NBA NOTE: Richard Lapchick, the Dir of Northeastern
Univ.'s Center for Sport & Society, addressed the NBA on the
subject of race last year, and in Boston, Peter May wrote
that Stern "liked what he heard so much," he has recommended
that teams participate in diversity workshops. The Rockets
will be the first team to do so (BOSTON GLOBE, 7/19).
