Basketball Related Income (BRI) remains the major issue in NBA Labour Dispute
The National Basketball Association lockout has now completed three months but still no definite path has been agreed upon for the solution of this dispute.
In the last week, a number of negotiations, spanning for hours, took place between NBA owners and the players association. However in those sessions, both sides agreed to take the most important issue off the table. That issue is the Basketball Related Income (BRI). Both the parties are trying to resolve other side issues before they get prepared to take on the major issue.
This shows that the owners and players union are far apart on the money issue. The only way NBA lockout will be lifted is by making a settlement on the BRI and by the looks of it, an agreement to form a new Collective Bargaining Agreement is not happening anytime soon.
According to the previous Collective Bargaining Agreement, the players were talking home 57 percent of the Basketball Related Income while the owners were receiving 43 percent. The NBA owners now say that the previous BRI system caused huge losses and want a major share of the pie.
During the previous negotiations, the players union decided to cut down their share to 53 percent however the owners have been adamant to give players only 46 percent of the BRI, which has clogged up the negotiation process.
One of the major reasons both the parties have not discussed the BRI issue in the recent meetings is that they are waiting on the results in the rest of the negotiations. The party which will give the most on those issues will then be in a position to demand a major share of BRI.
This issue has been the prime one as far as the players are concerned. Last week, Yahoo supports reported the approach of the players’ side towards the BRI.
The report said, “In a private union meeting prior to the bargaining session with owners, James kept reiterating to the group of elite players that they shouldn’t give back a greater share of the league’s basketball-related income (BRI) than what they’d already conceded in previous negotiations. “We’re all together on 53 [percent], right?”
The training camps were postponed and the preseason games were cancelled recently. Now the only way to save the next season is by settling the BRI.
This should be the priority for both the parties.
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