The NBA indefinitely suspended the 2019-2020 season last Wednesday after a Utah Jazz player, Rudy Gobert, tested positive for coronavirus. While the players and fans are disappointed, that doesn’t compare to the financial impact on another demographic: hourly arena workers. As the general manager of the Golden State Warriors, Bob Myers, told reporters, "We feel for the workers mostly, the low-income wage earners that count on working our games. If you're going to have empathy, have it for them, not for us. We play basketball. It's a big business, but we're just playing basketball."
Hourly arena workers, who rely on shifts and tips for compensation, are one of the groups that will be most impacted by the stoppage in play, spanning not only the NBA, but also MLB, NHL, and NCAA. With an average of 1,500 to 2,500 staff working a typical sporting event, as many as 100,000 workers across the U.S. could be impacted.
In many ways, arena workers represent a window into the devastating financial impact COVID-19 is having on a large sector of the population. Many Americans were struggling financially prior to the onset of COVID-19, with 78% of U.S. workers living paycheck to paycheck and more than half of American households without an emergency savings account. This translates into significant financial hardship and volatility when abrupt economic shocks occur.
America’s financial health was already in distress, but sadly many social safety nets have had their funding cut by the current administration. While not a replacement for robust public health and financial resources for vulnerable workers, it has been heartwarming to see NBA players, along with some owners, lead the charge to soften the financial impact on hourly arena workers and their families.
Zion Williamson, the star power forward of the New Orleans Pelicans, pledged to pay all Smoothie King Center arena workers’ salaries for the next 30 days. In an Instagram post, Williamson wrote, “This is a small way for me to express my support and appreciation for these wonderful people who have been so great to me and my teammates and hopefully we can all join together to relieve some of the stress and hardship caused by this national health crisis."
850k Likes, 18.7k Comments - Zion Williamson (@zionwilliamson) on Instagram: "The people of New Orleans have been incredibly welcoming and supportive since I was Drafted by the..."
The league’s reigning MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo, tweeted that he would donate $100,000 as did Blake Griffin of the Detroit Pistons.
Following Antetokounmpo’s tweet, his team, the Milwaukee Bucks, pledge to match all player donations to support part-time arena workers. Other teams and owners have also stepped up, including Mark Cuban of the Dallas Mavericks, Tony Ressler of the Atlanta Hawks, and Ted Leonsis, whose firm owns the Washington Capitals and Washington Wizards; however, with the 15 richest club owners in the NBA having a combined net worth of over $120 billion, one hopes that all owners quickly step in and not place the obligation solely on the charitableness of players.
Leonsis said, “It’s not a monetary thing right now. It’s more a people, employee-first thing.” Perhaps it’s time for the rest of the owners and the NBA as a whole to take that to heart too.
