NBA team owners and players scheduled a negotiating session for today just hours before the expiration of their collective bargaining agreement and a possible shutdown of the league.
A wide gap remains between players and management on financial issues and owners want a tighter salary cap system with fewer guaranteed contracts for less money, claiming 22 of 30 clubs are losing money.
Players, who take 57 percent of revenues, are fighting to maintain what they have in what could become the NBA’s first shutdown since the 1998-1999 season was shortened to only 50 games.
“I sure would like to see us make a deal and not making a deal should give everybody apprehension because the way to continue our growth is to come up with a deal that makes our union, that keeps our union as the highest-priced union in the world, gives all of our teams the opportunity to make a profit and makes us a more competitive league,” NBA commissioner David Stern said.
Team owners met on Tuesday in Dallas without voting to authorize a lockout, but the league’s labor relations committee has the power to act and will decide a next move based upon talks on the deadline day.
Stern and union counterparts have said talks could extend beyond today’s deadline if there is progress being made.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
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