On Oct. 13, Fox Sports printed a story about the NBA lockout and Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett’s reaction to it. The story stated that Cornett was “livid” about the lockout and blamed the problems in negotiations on the players’ agents.
Then, on Oct. 19, Yahoo!
Sports news carried a story about NBA city mayors signing an open letter that was to be sent to the league and its players asking for compromise to salvage the season and end the dadgum lockout. Cornett’s reaction? Meh.
Cornett did not sign, “because he does not want to choose a side in the argument by saying either side had done something wrong,” the story stated. “However, after saying he does not want to choose sides, he said that if he was forced to choose a side, it would be with the owners.”
Now, don’t get bummed, basketball junkies, we here at Chicken-Fried News are hoping the mayor just thinks open letters are for wimps and has something else in mind.
Enter Comedy Central’s Stephen Colbert.
Colbert’s Super PAC — Making a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow — recently tried to air a humorous advertisement asking people to support the owners to bring an end to the lockout. The ad, which featured a person holding a gun with a voice-over of “the players are demanding more millions” and urging viewers to call their local sports radio show and yell “We want our N-B-A!” was denied air time, although it is unclear who pulled the plug.
Now, we just report the news (and the deciders just decide), but if someone in a prominent position (like, say, the mayor) were to stand up in the middle of a City Council meeting, preferably when something like unsecured structures are being reviewed, channel the power of Grayskull, and send a bellowing roar through the chambers: “We want our NBA!” — we’re guessing that would send a pretty strong message, as well.
Plus, we would like to count how many half-asleep council people would jump over the desk.
