The Politics and Business of Yi Jianlian
>> Tuesday
When the Bucks drafted Yi Jianlian, you could almost hear him thinking to himself, "Where the fuck is Milwaukee?" And most of the rest of the world wonders the same thing. Most people outside of the Midwest, not to mention outside of the country, probably can't point out Milwaukee on a map, so it's understandable that the draft's third biggest story has turned into whispers of holdouts and trade demands.
Here in Milwaukee the general buzz (at least the one I've gathered) is that we better get a good deal for Yi. Even though Yi himself has said that he will play wherever he gets drafted, his posse (or handlers, or entourage, or whatever) doesn't like the idea of going to a small market city with such a low Chinese population. So most people seem to be assuming that a trade is in the works, and we (Milwaukee) are okay with that as long as we get a good return.
Well I'm here to cry foul. This could be a pivotal moment for the NBA as far as international players are concerned. If the Bucks and the NBA allow Yi to "force" a trade, it could be the end of the free market system that professional basketball currently enjoys. When I talk to people that are big sports fans, but lackluster about Major League Baseball, it's almost always because of what we'll call the New York Yankees factor. When big market teams like New York and L.A. are able to push their weight around to create an imbalanced playing field in free agency, sports leagues lose parity. And even though the biggest markets are satisfied with being in contention every year, it takes an entire country of interest for a professional sports league to thrive. Baseball is able to get away with it (though I think they could generate more fan interest with a salary cap, although I don't necessarily personally want to see a salaray cap...you know what, that's a long tangent that I'm not going to go into) but the NBA cannot live without the combined interests of markets like Milwaukee, Cleveland, Portland, Indiana, Utah, etc.
I applaud Milwaukee for calling Yi's bluff and drafting him despite being locked out of his workouts, but to complete the move they have to sign him and get him in a Bucks uniform next year. If the Bucks trade Yi it could open the floodgates, so to speak, and persuade other international talents to demand to play in cities where there is a high population of their nationality. This means that the whole market is cornered by cities like New York and L.A. (and to a lesser degree Chicago and D.C.) Teams could, like Milwaukee, draft international talent and try to get a good deal for their draft pick, but when a player is pressuring a team to trade, that team never gets a completely fair deal.
It is vital that the Bucks stay strong on this. If Yi's representatives threaten to move him back to China, let them. As much as it would pain me to see the Bucks go from having the next Dirk Nowitzki to having nothing, we already traded the first Dirk Nowitzki for nothing, soooo been there, done that.
Oh, and just to clear things up...
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7 comments:
I'm a Grizz fan who would have loved to have Yi, and I fully support your position. The Bucks should either stand their ground/get something of actual value, or let him go back to China.
Agreed on the need for the Clevelands, Portlands, et. al. to remain interested for the league to make a profit.
Not sure I agree on your definition of a free market, but I don't know if that's my Yellow Chair Politics talking or my proximity to a big television market talking.
Or the booze.
Okay, you're right Sever. Free market, if taken in the pure, libertarian sense, is not really the best term, because this is actually the opposite of true free market.
This is more along the lines of defending against monopolies. When I said "free market" I was referring to an equal opportunity market, as explained in the post, so don't let technical meanings of terms confuse you.
...and booze? at 8:47 AM? Even for us that's a little early.
On a weekday, no less... when you should be working.
And you wanna be my latex salesman.
Actually, not that far off. I'm quitting my job in a month and I have COMPLETELY checked out.
Fuck that, I'll admit to being kind of impressed. Of course, my attitude towards the workplace may contribute to me continuing to be a drain on society here.
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