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Today was the 104^th day of lockout in the NBA. As a devoted fan of the Boston Celtics, one of the most triumphant teams in the league, and an overall NBA enthusiast, a lockout is a terrible thing. More importantly, this lockout is threating the 2011-2012 season, the 66^th of the NBA since its merger with the ABA.

An NBA lockout is a very rare thing; it has happened only four times in the history of the league. However, what is a lockout? A lockout is a type of strike held by players in opposition to team owners’ demands. This is due to the expiration of the previous CBA, or Collective Bargain Agreement, on July 1, 2011. The previous CBA guaranteed players almost 57% of basketball-related income, or BRI, however owners demanded a 7-9% reduction, which is equal to about $200 million dollars. The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) disagreed with the proposal and the lockout began. During lockout, teams can’t sign or trade players; they can’t even contact them. It is a very tense situation in which a lot of people are in economic and social danger. This problem doesn’t only affect fans, but also people who make their income out of basketball-related activities. What happens to the hot-dog seller that parks his hot-dog car outside the stadium, or the cotton candy seller, and so many others? This is another very important situation that is currently not being negotiated.

Basketball is a sport that unites entire cities, that destroys barriers of color, race and indifference, and that represents the colors of an entire population. It is a terrible thing that a sport that brings so many people together cannot agree on a deal. CBA talks will resume soon. Hopefully a new deal would come out of it.