# Stern says NBA player salaries should be cut by 1/3rd **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [October 21, 2010, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stern-says-nba-player-salaries-should-be-cut-by-1-3rd/557941 "2010-10-21T21:45:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stern-says-nba-player-salaries-should-be-cut-by-1-3rd/557941/1 "2010-10-21T21:45:30Z")
> **[NBA labor: Stern wants player costs cut by third](https://www.espn.com/nba/news/story?id=5711172&campaign=rss&source=NBAHeadlines)** > > NBA commissioner David Stern says there was no quantifiable progress in collective bargaining talks over the summer, and the league has revealed it is seeking a reduction in player salary costs by about one-third. I predict some real fighting over this. Has anyone felt the owners have not made enough money, except other owners. This could be ugly. The players make a lot of money, but there is a lot of money in the game. The seats are ridiculous in cost. But not all teams get the price LA gets for courtsides. Maybe NFL and NBA will both be locked out in the future. [NBA Salaries | HoopsHype](http://hoopshype.com/salaries.htm) Here are the salaries. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stern-says-nba-player-salaries-should-be-cut-by-1-3rd/557941/2 "2010-10-21T21:49:53Z")
[Forbes List Directory](http://www.forbes.com/lists/2007/32/biz_07nba_NBA-Team-Valuations_Income.html) Here are the team values. The Pistons are worth a half a billion? ---
**Author:** ![sachertorte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sachertorte/32/3727_2.png) [@sachertorte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sachertorte)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stern-says-nba-player-salaries-should-be-cut-by-1-3rd/557941/3 "2010-10-21T21:57:57Z")
Why don’t sports teams pay players a percent of the ticket sales? ---
**Author:** ![borschevsky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/97f17d/32.png) [@borschevsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/borschevsky)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stern-says-nba-player-salaries-should-be-cut-by-1-3rd/557941/4 "2010-10-21T22:19:23Z")
> [@sachertorte](#): > > Why don’t sports teams pay players a percent of the ticket sales? Because the teams make more money from other sources than they do from ticket sales. For example, [this article](http://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/article/62239) gives the total ticket sales for the 2008-2009 NBA season as between $800 million and $1 billion, with the league’s total revenue as $3.5 billion. Total player salaries are currently about $2 billion, so even if they were cut by a third as Stern suggests, ticket sales wouldn’t cover the players’ salaries. ---
**Author:** ![Hawkeyeop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/958977/32.png) [@Hawkeyeop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hawkeyeop)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stern-says-nba-player-salaries-should-be-cut-by-1-3rd/557941/5 "2010-10-21T22:56:06Z")
That and teams can do tricky things with ticket sales. For example, they can sell the tickets at face value to a ticket reseller they own and then sell those same tickets for a much higher amount. I tend to not believe owners are losing money unless they fully open their books. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2010, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stern-says-nba-player-salaries-should-be-cut-by-1-3rd/557941/6 "2010-10-22T00:41:49Z")
They sell shirts and caps and other items. They sell parking and food and drink. The revenue stream is much deeper than ticket prices. They sell rights to TV and they sell advertising. They even sell the images to video games. The NBA is knee deep in money .They want to share as little as they can. They will never allow a neutral audit. ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2010, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stern-says-nba-player-salaries-should-be-cut-by-1-3rd/557941/7 "2010-10-22T02:30:04Z")
I’m fine with the idea that the players are overpaid; ultimately, they’re playing a game for entertainment purposes, and that wouldn’t seem to be worth all the millions the best players get for that. However, I can’t say that I support taking money away from the players to give it to the owners. I’d be fine with cutting the players’ salaries, cutting the owners’ salaries, and using the money to have teams build their own damn stadia, rather than making taxpayers build them. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2010, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stern-says-nba-player-salaries-should-be-cut-by-1-3rd/557941/8 "2010-10-22T03:12:45Z")
> [@Hawkeyeop](#): > > That and teams can do tricky things with ticket sales. For example, they can sell the tickets at face value to a ticket reseller they own and then sell those same tickets for a much higher amount. > > I tend to not believe owners are losing money unless they fully open their books. Yeah. Never ever believe the owners of major professional sports teams unless they do. And even then be skeptical. Their track record ain’t so great when it comes to being honest about money. If the owners really need the players to make less, they can stop offering huge contracts. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2010, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stern-says-nba-player-salaries-should-be-cut-by-1-3rd/557941/9 "2010-10-22T05:40:00Z")
How can you say the players are overpaid? They generate the interest that pulls the fans in and for them to spend money on all the other things the owners make money off of. If an owner breaks his leg, the league will not notice. If Lebron breaks his, the league has a crisis. The contracts are enormous by working standards. they are not so large by entertainment standards. The teams don’t have large rosters like football and baseball. They don’t have a minor league system to pay for. Their coaching staffs are much smaller than footballs . Basketball is a real big money maker and they make money around the world too. All owners want to squeeze the workers for all they can get. ---
**Author:** ![magnusblitz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@magnusblitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magnusblitz)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2010, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stern-says-nba-player-salaries-should-be-cut-by-1-3rd/557941/10 "2010-10-22T05:56:58Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > [http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5711172&campaign=rss&source=NBAHeadlines](http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5711172&campaign=rss&source=NBAHeadlines) > I predict some real fighting over this. Has anyone felt the owners have not made enough money, except other owners. This could be ugly. > The players make a lot of money, but there is a lot of money in the game. The seats are ridiculous in cost. But not all teams get the price LA gets for courtsides. > Maybe NFL and NBA will both be locked out in the future. > [http://hoopshype.com/salaries.htm](http://hoopshype.com/salaries.htm) Here are the salaries. I admit I’m not well-versed in the NBA’s issues, but the ESPN ticker today indicated that the NBA is posting a net loss of hundreds of millions of dollars. That would seem to indicate that the players are overpaid. ---
**Author:** ![FasterThanMeerkats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/278dde/32.png) [@FasterThanMeerkats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FasterThanMeerkats)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2010, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stern-says-nba-player-salaries-should-be-cut-by-1-3rd/557941/11 "2010-10-22T13:59:50Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > All owners want to squeeze the workers for all they can get. If you owned a convenience store and decided to reduce pay by a third, it’s your right. It’s also the employee’s right to leave and do something else. No one has to like. Supply/Demand. If folks feel bad for the players, maybe they should support the sport with higher ticket prices, but that’s not happening… Supply/Demand The NBA, it’s owners, and players are not sacred cows to the U.S. Let them fight it out. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Nene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/da6949/32.png) [@El\_Nene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Nene)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2010, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stern-says-nba-player-salaries-should-be-cut-by-1-3rd/557941/12 "2010-10-22T14:11:36Z")
> [@magnusblitz](#): > > I admit I’m not well-versed in the NBA’s issues, but the ESPN ticker today indicated that the NBA is posting a net loss of hundreds of millions of dollars. That would seem to indicate that the players are overpaid. They post loses year after year after year and yet they manage to stay in business and any time a franchise is up for sale there is no shortage of potential buyers. Are you suggesting that these wealthy businessmen are all chopping at the bit to loose their shirt? ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2010, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stern-says-nba-player-salaries-should-be-cut-by-1-3rd/557941/13 "2010-10-22T14:12:04Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > [http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5711172&campaign=rss&source=NBAHeadlines](http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5711172&campaign=rss&source=NBAHeadlines) I wonder how much Stern makes. The article doesn’t say. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2010, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stern-says-nba-player-salaries-should-be-cut-by-1-3rd/557941/14 "2010-10-22T14:17:06Z")
NBA teams have a salary floor and a salary cap. They might be able to convince the players association to lower the cap if they simultaneously raise the floor. I believe the floor and cap are currently at $44M and $56M, respectively, so there’s not a lot of room to play with. Even then, I’m not sure owners would actually save much. What the NBA really needs to do is cut loose teams that can’t draw. Memphis and Toronto come to mind. ---
**Author:** ![sachertorte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sachertorte/32/3727_2.png) [@sachertorte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sachertorte)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2010, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stern-says-nba-player-salaries-should-be-cut-by-1-3rd/557941/15 "2010-10-22T14:17:49Z")
> [@borschevsky](#): > > Because the teams make more money from other sources than they do from ticket sales. Oh. Then why not a percent of total revenues? ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2010, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stern-says-nba-player-salaries-should-be-cut-by-1-3rd/557941/16 "2010-10-22T14:24:44Z")
> [@sachertorte](#): > > Oh. Then why not a percent of total revenues? Because the owners lie like dogs. (Back in the 70s, the players DID agree to pay cuts when the league actually was in trouble - they did so because the owners fully opened the books to them (or their representatives) and showed them where the losses were.) ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2010, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stern-says-nba-player-salaries-should-be-cut-by-1-3rd/557941/17 "2010-10-22T14:32:48Z")
No one forced the owners to bid up the salaries. It was their own choice. So if they want to lower salaries, then they should offer contracts with lower salaries. Of course, it won’t happen. When you bid on things (like sports contracts since free agency became serious), there’s very often someone who’s willing to get the item _at any price_. And the fans will cheer if a superstar comes to town. ---
**Author:** ![markdash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@markdash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markdash)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2010, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stern-says-nba-player-salaries-should-be-cut-by-1-3rd/557941/18 "2010-10-22T14:42:01Z")
> [@sachertorte](#): > > Oh. Then why not a percent of total revenues? That, my friend, is precisely what the current CBA does. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2010, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stern-says-nba-player-salaries-should-be-cut-by-1-3rd/557941/19 "2010-10-22T17:30:01Z")
> [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > What the NBA really needs to do is cut loose teams that can’t draw. Memphis and Toronto come to mind. I agree, and Mike and Mike this morning were echoing the same sentiment, both for the NBA _and_ the MLB. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2010, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stern-says-nba-player-salaries-should-be-cut-by-1-3rd/557941/20 "2010-10-22T18:23:59Z")
Several sources on the net say Stern makes 10 mill. It may be expansion into Europe is the reason he is coming down on player salaries. Some franchises like the Lakers would have to bring a tandem semi to the stadium to move their money to the bank if they cut salaries. One site says 40 percent cut, a hard cap and eliminating guaranteed contracts. That would be a hard sell to the players. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stern-says-nba-player-salaries-should-be-cut-by-1-3rd/557941.md?page=2)