Labor woes hit home for Hawks players, fans and employees

[HMFFL]

Labor woes hit home for Hawks players, fans and employees

Now we officially enter that wasteland where nobody wins.

Concessionaires and attendants at Philips Arena begin taking it in the pay stub, doubly so in a town that just lost its hockey team to Manitoba.

Hawks guard Joe Johnson will lose a little more than $700,000 in salary this first week, $1.4 million over the bi-weekly NBA pay period.

Thus far, the Hawks have cancelled 13 games. With no settlement soon, the next layer of cancellations could cut into that crucial lord-we-need-something-other-to-watch-than-It’s-A-Wonderful-Life Christmas period.

The question at this stage: How many out there really care?

For the only thing worse than an NBA lockout would be a largely ignored NBA lockout. What a distressing sign for any business: discovering just how dispensable its product is. http://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-hawks ... 12800.html