Minor League Professional Basketball Needs Governing Body

[Moose Lewis]

What a shocking headline-but I do not think I have spoken truer words in my life. As everyone knows, the Global Basketball Alliance (GBA) has been diligently working to be the showcase of minor league professional basketball this upcoming season. Well, let me tell you, forget the showcase part-we will be fortunate to meet our own mandated standards. These are harsh words to be sure-but-after weeks of working 20 hour days, falling asleep at the computer, and contracting AIDS of the ears-from listening to too many *ssholes-I have come to the conclusion that the world of minor league professional basketball has more liars, con men, wanna be-s, never was-es, wish I was-es, and lazy what can you do for me cuz I am the greatest--than any sport I have ever been involved with-which is stating alot since I have been in the sports of professional wrestling and boxing for almost 30 years.
The GBA made mistakes when we first launched-and I accept the responsibility for taking less than stellare owners and personnel-and I refuse to compromise this time around. I would like someone to tell me why it is so difficult to return a telephone call, answer an email, heck-write a letter and to say my b*lls are in a jar on my mother-in-laws fireplace mantel. I should stop making the mistake of even mentioning minor league basketball and professional in the same sentence. What is really strange is EVERY league has its weak links-and weak is being nice and generous. It is truly a daunting task to find qualified personnel who understand how a business is to be run-think about it. Look at the problems ALL teams are having. I promise you that there are idiots working in responsible positions who could not even be an assistant manager in a fast food joint-their only qualifications is they could speak a derivative of the word "yes" or at least nod their head. You have "missing" money from teams-yet how many times is someone prosecuted. Players do not have passports-has anyone heard of "Homeland Security"? A team does not have financial problems-but they are restructuring contracts of players -the players who are not being paid in the first place-but the owner has money but is not going to put it in the basketball team-what the f**k? This is not Business 101-but Business 666-stupid and just plain wrong-yet it is accepted without recourse. A team in a league states publicly they are going to schedule games with any semi-pro team or team from another league to fill out their schedule-uuhhh-what schedule is that? A team is in a gym with no heat in dead winter-and the janitor hit the wrong button and turned on the air conditioning, or someone forgot to turn the heat on becasue they did not know a game was scheduled. A team is drawing not even flies but that is not a problem because the team owner has money-not for long at that pace. Need I go on? People, the only way things are going to change is either make anyone involved in minor league basketball be licensed and have standards to adhere to (which will never happened-if so, it would have happened in boxing) OR for everyone to say enough is enough and totally stop supporting the horsecrap that this sport is until everyone involved in a league or team is held accountable. It is time for everyone who is a lying, lazy, incompetent, underfinanced, illiterate, unqualified, immoral, and irresponsible is exposed for what they are-unless they can prove their worth. Maybe then you won't see recycled coaches, referees, press agents, and owners making the rounds and ruining markets and reputations. As I have said for years, "the truth will set you free-and get your *ss kicked-but if you can't take it, go home and cry to momma". As that great statesman Forest Gump once said, "and that's all I have to say about that."

[The Magician]

As that great statesman Forest Gump once said, "and that's all I have to say about that."

It appears that the business of Minor League Basketball is a tough one ...

[Moose Lewis]

no question it is IF you do run it like a real business and not a toy/hobby-and i think many are finding that out the hard way.

[The Magician]

no question it is IF you do run it like a real business and not a toy/hobby-and i think many are finding that out the hard way.

Sounds like you have been monitoring the American Basketball Association :infun:

[Tyler1420]

So, I quote from Dr. King, "If you are going to be a ditch digger, then choose to be the best ditch digger there is."

When a league makes the choice to do what it takes to stabilize itself and make its teams the best teams there are, then instead of making egoistic choices, it will be the strongest league out there, providing the best fan experience outside of the NBA.

As that great statesman Stan Lee says, " 'Nuff said."

[Moose Lewis]

Before this day is over, let us take a moment to reflect on MLK and his day-as a white man born and bred in the deep south, it took me some years to truly appreciate how much he was ahead of his time. i remember when he was killed and it was all over the radio and i asked my father what was going on and he said that n*gger was finally shut up. remember, i am 48 and thus was a child of forced busing and integration-yet except for skin color, we were just kids. then in junior high, the schools were consolidated-and fighting broke out-not because of race necessarily-but because now-black kids were taking white kids spots on the basketball team. my point is-in spite of my upbringing, my dislike of the black kids going to school with me was not because of their color=but there was more competition to make the team-and my junior high and high school basketball career went into the crapper-boy, did my parents get p*ssed. i am glad that we do become wiser as we get older and while my parents have not changed, i am glad i received an education that allowed me to achieve things that allowed me to learn from the great scholars and travel the world. in fact, one christmas day i was in guyana=the only white man in the entire country i saw for days was my own reflection=and i was drinking rum from the bottle singing karoke with a table of black guys from the caribbean with our shirts off-and it happened due to sports and education. dr. king was brilliant and i appreciate him more and more each day and as i saw on the democratic debate tonite-thru him, moral values finally met politics-which was never before accomplished in this country=think about this-isn't it amazing how one man's beliefs changed the moral fiber of the greatest country in the world-and he did it peacefully-no guns, no hate spewing, just touting the bible and asking people to do what is right. thank god that we were allowed to know a man like him who had principles, morals, and love of fellow man-regardless of color or creed- like MLK during our country's shameful period-and how lucky we are that there is a day set aside to remind us what is morally right.

[wthomas]

I play in Ultimate Hoops League (http://www.ultimatehoopsmn.com/topflight/home.cfm) and it's unlike any league out there. It's a rec league but it's run better than any minor league. Make Alan Arlt a commissioner in charge of a minor league and it will instantly give a league some professionalism and credibility.

[Pounder]

There is a governing body: USA Basketball, who happens to report to FIBA.

Problem is, what CAN they govern? The NBA pushes them around, and there's no anti-trust exemption to use to actually gain a measure of control.

Anti-trust exemption means playing nice with the government, and they're far more likely to strip baseball of their exemption than grant any more.